Danny Phantom: The Bond
by Madnesz23
Summary: Danny Fenton couldn't get any more worse, but now he was faced with Ember McLain, now in human form, as she takes to Amity, but can't remember who did the change to her. He takes it upon himself to both fight a new threat and teach Ember how to fight again, his concerns only growing with the sense of danger in the air. DxE friendship, DxS couple and a number of others. (On Hold)
1. Chapter I or 1

The early-summer days loomed over the sky of Amity Park, home of resident ghostly hero, Danny Phantom, and he just finished up dealing with a few of ghostly problems, capping his Thermos before he breathed, back to the brick of the roof that he was sitting on. "That is the fifth ghost attack I had to face and I know, for a fact, that they are going to drive me under very soon." He didn't want to admit it, but even when the school hours ended, he still had a sizable amount of make to do and he could hardly do any of that if ghosts and hunters keep going him beef. He looked up as another slip of cold air flowed out before he groaned. "Well, I guess it's back to work..." He sat up and took flight as he chased down his targets, a few more unknown, but lesser ghosts and... he blinked a bit as he recognized the blazing blue hair, that rocker gear, and the violet guitar on her back as he picked up speed and started to put the beatdown on the ghosts and sucking them up, Ember turning for a moment before she sped off and Danny grumbled. "Oh, no you don't...!" He chased the trail out of town before stopping... just pausing as he looked about. "Where did...!?"

Ember just vanished, she was way out of sight and he couldn't feel or sense her anywhere close by as he huffed with some annoyance. "I really want this to be just a game, but I am going to have to put a rain check on her, she can't have gotten too far from view." His breath came again and he glanced back with a frown. "Now what...!?" He sped back to town, heedless to the events happening...

* * *

Phantom sped back to town, just as a certain rock star emerged from the ground and shuttered. "I hated the taste of the dirt, but dipstick just couldn't let off even if it killed him!" Ember McLain as she hovered up and formed her legs under before she glanced to the hero disappearing off. "I wonder if he knows..." She shook her head and headed off in the opposite direction, Phantom going west into the town while she headed east to see to something big. After all, the Ghost Zone can be stuffy, but it was her home and when there were suddenly rumors of somebody experimenting with ghost abilities and cores, she knew that the lockdown would come down before she could escape again and she couldn't get out again.

While the thought to rock out the world again with her skills, she was more intent on finding out who exactly was playing their games with ghosts and scaring the whole place for Walker to just start 'putting down martial law in place'. She flew true and searched with a frown before she stopped in a distant playground and huffed as she removed her guitar and rested it on the metal of the swing set and sat in one of the swings. "This is not good, I can't focus like this, Dip could easily just thrash me and suck me up with that can." She barely forgot that her Death Day was coming up and she should have just lingered in her realm to cool off, but she felt a need to check out the Human World and find out what was the big deal with some human experimenting, they have either ignored, ran screaming, or wanted to blast her and the others for just existing, but Phantom...

She lifted a gloved hand as she looked at it, Phantom was different as, after the whole trouble with him and the town, he started to seem... more respected among the ghosts and some humans, they call him their hero, their actual friend... she didn't know either, but after the whole debate with Undergrowth, he was more possessive of the Goth chick than before, despite his cluelessness. She lowered it before continuing in her thoughts. 'He even has a few heavy-hitters like Frostbite, 'Queen' Dora, and even some claim that he has the backing of Clockwork, that guy is so impossible to expect from and he is aiding that...?!' She stopped as she felt her hair ignite and some of the metal warped a bit before she cooled it, feet kicking her off the ground as she just swung on the swing. 'Weird... I guess I am just in such a frenzy that I couldn't even control my own emotions, Stick would be able to beat me down easily, like this...' She rested a hand to her face before she stopped, the light wind hiding none as a sound caught her attention.

She sprung up, snatching her guitar, and hovering a bit before a blast came, she grimacing as she floated back some, the attack coming from the trees as the attacker stepped out, wielding... Her eyes widened as they were not holding a weapon, their hand was the weapon as it looked like some tech, neatly and mixed with, had spread across the arm, but there was no ghostly aura or anything that could alert Ember, she just was lucky to have felt the intent... the intent to capture. "My, I was not expecting a actual ghost to drop by for my weapons to actually get their trial runs in." The hand lowered to the side of the cloak as he, from the tone of voice that was both garbled and filled with a noise of static, pulled into a stance. "Now then, let's see what CQC can do from me here." Ember braced herself as the figure dashed or soared across the ground as she thought about it for a moment, Shulker often grumbled that CQC stands for Close-Quarter-Combat and how he often lost to Phantom when the 'whelp' got the upper hand. Her guitar faced the sudden punch as she was thrown backward with effort and she growled as she righted herself and began her attack.

"You like punches, try these for size!" She strummed out as a series of violet punches soared for the figure, only to be surprised as the figure didn't dodge, he punched the blasts and destroyed them with ease before he raised a closed fist on the last, raised the pointer and wagged it side to side, her hair blazing as she strummed once more. "Burn!" A stream of flames shot forward and he dodged as he rushed about, the flames torching the place before she suffered another punch, the recoil too much as she gasped, felling to the ground, the figure landing on the ground by the jungle gym and rolled a wrist.

"That was fun, but I didn't just come here for your little 'performance', I am here for another reason..." He growled at the road as Ember turned to see the white vans and their occupants of white, the Guys in White.

'They are here because I was making too much noise, I am weakened too, I can't...' The vans came closer, but so did the figure as the arms started to glow, much stronger than what he was hitting with.

"Always ruining my fun..." He stopped in front of Ember as he hissed under the cowl. "You guys are SO uninvited here!" Pulling back an arm, he lashed it and Ember watched as a sound wave blasted from him with the sound of a cannon and suddenly destroyed the vans, the vehicles bursting into flames before crashing, five in total and he just destroyed all of them with a single blast. "Now, where was I... Oh, right." Ember couldn't move in time as a fist slammed into her skull and knocking her out as the figure spoke in darkness. "Sleep, little star, soon you will be playing a different tone in the world..."

* * *

Danny sat in his room as he worked through his problems in math and soon moved on to English before he couldn't focus anymore and groaned as he toppled over on his bed. "Why is Ember lingering in my head, she can't be too much trouble right...!?"

"That depends, Danny..." Danny looked up to see Jazz step into the room and he sat up as she closed the door and sat down beside him, taking notice of his work. "I see that you were having a 'great' time working on the make-up work for Casper, at least you have a better focus on it at home than at school..."

"...Where all the bullies and thugs have all the time to pick on me and where ghosts break in to distort whatever work I want to do." Danny huffed as Jazz nodded before she rested a hand on his shoulder and asked.

"Is everything okay, Danny, you look rather troubled after a simple ghost patrol..." Danny glanced to his older sister before looking back to the window before he spoke.

"It's Ember... she was out and about, but just as I was dealing with the other ghouls, she just sped off and I gave chase before I just... lost her..." He stood up and gazed out of the window as Jazz just looked at him with hands in her lap. "She doesn't just do that, she just makes a musical insult or just insults me, but she looked... fearful, afraid of something that I just don't understand what she was afraid of, it is like with Pariah Dark, but I don't recall anything big going down, Vlad is just relaxing in his manor as he debates a new plan to take me, marry Mom, or kill Dad..." He sighed as he rested both arms on the glass. "I just don't know... it feels like a gut punch to be ignored by someone who swore vengeance against me... Is it answering anything?"

"Partly, Danny..." Jazz answered as she explained it out in her own thoughts. "I think it is a sense of common occurrence, you expect her to attack you and plan to 'rock the world out' in her own tones, but the sudden change in a subject's behavior could be easily controlled or motivated by the notion of personal feelings coming into play or a large event affecting their lives or surroundings."

"Jazz... It's Ember... not one of your patients... at least, I don't think so..." The dark-haired youth looked back and sighed as he returned to the bed, picking the things from Jasmine's hands and continuing the work. "I don't know... maybe it would be better that I get some of these phrases and stories down before I forget." Jazz hummed before she stood up and dusted herself off.

"Okay, Danny, I'll leave you to it." She headed over and opened the door, pausing before she turned and spoke again. "So are you planning for your 'friend day' next week?"

"Maybe..." Jazz frowned before she left and closed the door, Danny was just more interested in Ember's sudden pause that it was consuming his thoughts, so much that he could fully focus on his work before giving it up and picking it up again after a moment of debating, she didn't need to step in quite yet, only if he started to step outside his own comfort...

* * *

Ember groaned before blinking. 'Where am I...?' She tried to move, but found that she was stuck, glancing down with fear as restraints bound her, she pulling hard before the left manacle sent a current through her, she gridding her teeth to the sudden pain before she settled and recapped. 'Okay, Ember, think... You headed to an abandoned park, was blasted at by someone in a cloak, got hit a few times by the same guy before...' She remembered the Guys in White coming to take her and the guy, but he stepped in front of her... he pulled an arm back and blasted a powerful blast... he... 'No... did he really just kill those guys just for the right to capture me!?' She uneasily turned to the sides to see if she could find the figure or a Guy in White, but the shadows hid everything before a tapping came to her ears and she twisted to the face of horror. Tapping on a tablet was a human-like face, aqua blue eyes staring at the screen that must be either containing a game or... records, but the lower half was that of metal like it was a respirator, fastened by a number of clasps down the sides or bands as the figure just sat there before it paused, the screen still the same.

"Ah, you're awake now..." The tablet came to rest as the figure walked over and rounded about the back of the table. "While this is not the most optimal plan and interest, I see that reason is often lost among those that choose to fight for their own choices, not an issue, but if I wish to be sure of this, I have to possess a subject of remarkable resistance, the lesser ones can barely even hold together, so it is human to release them back through a opened link to the quiet of the Zone." He started to type in some things into a console close by as Ember struggled to escape.

"Whatever you think you are doing, you are not getting away with it?!"

"Oh...?" A hidden grin spread under the mask that scared Ember further that she continued to pull despite the surge of electricity. "But you see... I have already done so, Miss... or should I use your real name, Amboina Terra McLain?" Ember froze at the mention, but that sudden freeze also brought out a strong surge as she screamed into the thick walls that surrounded her as her body unconsciously called out for relief as she blacked out... confusion flooding her mind with pain and sparks, her fire slipping away...

* * *

Ember groaned as she blinked a few times, the blurring in her vision staggering as she lightly pushed up and she groaned, running a hand over her face. "Where...?" She looked about to the small, but casual room as she stood up, something not right with her as she just walked across the room, windowless with its quiet color of gray as she stepped over and paused before a mirror set up and she rested a hand on it before she looked up, regretting it as she screamed, stumbling back and toppled on the bed, not slipping through it, but landing on it.

She looked at a reflection, or what she thinks is one, as she stood back up and approached the glass. What looked back was her face, not a ghostly image of her, but real flesh and blood as her skin was the same as her human life, her hair had returned to being a light hazel with a prominent of teal down her left side, the eyes gazing back were once brown as well, but the similar features faded as she looked it over, the teal locks apparent as they hung over her face, her eyes were a mix of green and brown, and her attire was not the rocker attire, instead she was wearing a gown like she had seen at hospitals and she stepped back before profiling herself in it. "Well, I never did like seeing myself in a gown, but this is going a bit far, I know short, why would anyone wear this for their illnesses?" She felt under and regretted it as she came to the conclusion of... she shook her head and sat down as she spoke up, hoping that what she was seeing was a dream. "Hey, anyone up there, I need some clothes right now, if this is a dream..."

"This is not a dream..." She jumped and glanced about before she spotted where the voice came from. "You are currently in real life and what you think is a dream is but a reality that you now find yourself in." She glanced at the corner with the thing looked different from its holes, like a amp. "I apologize for the lack of clothing, but that hospital gown is designed for individuals similar or just like you, spirits for the lack of a better word or something more interesting." Ember crossed her arms as she popped a hip and spoke.

"I am no one's plaything..."

"Never said as much, but you will forgive me for not believing your words right now, after..." The voice paused as she felt... unease from the sound. "It is not simple and a terror to come back from the grave in a full-fleshed body, and knowing what is going to happen, I suspect that you are in for a very rude awakening." She glanced about before she swished about, but froze as a mist flooded in and stopped her, a needle descending from the ceiling before it thrusted into her arm, she hissing from the pain which was lessened some before some patch was applied and she found the mist stopped as the voice came again. "Thank you for your cooperation, now it is time to see what exactly has fully occurred in your body." She looked about before she reached up to the patch, stopping with wide eyes as the patch covered the point, but there was no mistaking the material behind it...

...Her arm was pumping dark-red liquid out into the patch, her body was pumping out blood from the wound as she stumbled back some in shock before toppling to the bed and falling unconscious to the tick of a clock...

* * *

The tick of a clock echoed in the sterile lab as the figure walked through, holding up a vial of sloshing blood, specks of green bobbing and bubbling from it as he hummed before he inserted it into a sizable device as it scanned it over and the hidden face frowned as a display of the scans came back on the three before him and he looked over, making his notes here and there before logging in and powering up a document and typing it out before taking a moment to look it over for any details that he was missing.

'Name: Amboina Terra McLain aka. Ember McLain'  
'Status: Inactive'  
'Species: Ghost (former), Demi'  
'Notes: The first stable ghost to enter the labs and a valuable one as the GIW 'attempted' to capture her to destroy and experiment, none of their ten members employed survived from 'Sonic Buster' attack. Subject has history as former teen whose heartbreak rendered her unconscious to her home blazing down, but eyewitnesses didn't find or discover former body, like it had faded away in the ashes. Likely course of action is agent unaware of plans and can sneak through standard society without trouble, however possesses a prideful streak, may be exposed before long, but concerns far from mind as Subject is in slumber, likely also shock from new change. Also, check for measurements or take Subject to shop to have handpicked attire on hand.'  
'Age: Late Sixteen'  
'COA: Patience until awake again before debate plans'

The figure nodded before saving the document and sealing it in a new folder, one called 'Demis/ Former Ghosts', and closed out of it before reviewing the small sample given as he mused through what it could contain. Perfection was out of the question as the body could not provide perfect results, but he smiled under the mask as the cells coursed through, some flashing differently with auras or just showing signs of ecto-powers without damaging the host body. He glanced over to the vial as it shook, looking back to see some of the cells combusting into flames and he looked back as he just smirked. "You will remember her name, Ember..."

The song was catchy, but he was not there for her music or her attitude as his eyes looked up and took in the target of his research that was displayed on the screen from a feed in Amity, the black jumpsuit and white hair a lure into finding out more as the green called out to be uncovered, the person behind those ghostly eyes and fierce hero complex. "Oh, Danny Phantom, the time is coming to when I can find out who or what you truly are, if you are the 'scum' called out by hunters across the world or if you have a secret far from the eyes of the public, one that will shatter their faith and their prejudice of spite." He shook his head before shutting the monitor down and turning back to Ember's sample, cataloguing the usual powers and abilities and seeing what else could be developed in the blood and body... under a close eye...


	2. Chapter II or 2

Danny was sure that he couldn't just go hunting down Ember if his folks were also hunting him down, but the sense of that... gut punch was repeating its cycle in his blood and he groaned aloud to figure it out before he decided on a course. "There must be something in the Ghost Zone that could tell me all about what caused Ember to flee like that..." He slipped off of his bed and silently trailed down, glancing through to hear nothing, dashing over to the door to see that the van was gone, meaning that his folks were out right now, hunting down more ghosts that even now were causing either havoc or just being quiet in the city without his constant view on their coming and going. He swiftly moved to the lab and stood before the massive steel doors that held the other realm in, the Ghost Zone as he headed into the Specter Speeder and powered it up before he floated it to the front of it before he paused from the throttle and shut the vehicle down, it settling down as he mused.

"No... not yet, I need to talk to Sam and Tucker first, that is better than rushing into the Portal and getting lost for some time." He got out and headed back upstairs before he pulled out his phone, dialing out Sam's number then Tucker's as he held the phone up to his ear. The phones rang before Sam connected, but Tucker was third wheeled as he groaned and sent a message, telling Tucker that he forgotten about the call limits and had him use his computer to talk as he turned back to Sam. "Hey, Sam, sorry for calling, but I just thought to call up before I do something very stupid."

_"Hey, it's fine, Danny, my parents were ragging on about some 'ball' and their interests to drift me in to find 'love', such a topic best left alone for me."_ Danny nodded as he turned to his PC and found Tucker's message glaring about at him.

'What's the problem, Danny, and did you get Sam first before me!? Dude!?' Danny grimaced as he typed back and spoke.

"It's okay, Sam, I just was thinking about Ember, she was out and about, but the problem was she just faded out of sight and I had to deal with the other ghosts and, before I knew it, she was just gone." He replied in the same way to Tucker and waited for their replies before his call just closed and he spoke up. "Sam...? Hey, Sam...!" He looked at the computer before the full Team Phantom were online as Sam replied.

_'So what's exactly is Ember doing out and about right now?'_

'Yeah, Ember is easy to deal with, don't tell me that you actually just spared her from the Thermos and just let her go?' Danny paused as he debated it before he replied in both tech and life.

"No, she just flew off and I would have searched for her, but I had to deal with both the ghosts and my parents trying to shot me down, that cuts my time out rather short." Danny sent the message as he hummed to himself on the matter. If they felt that there was something wrong, then they could vocalize it for him to understand, Tucker is easy with the data compile, but Sam makes more sense in the irrational side of things, he guessed that could have a effect on his own notions. With a ding, he turned back to Sam asking.

_'What exactly was Ember afraid of, she IS teenage rebellion, right?'_

"That's what I want to find out, but I stopped myself from going into the Ghost Zone without telling you guys about it, it felt right to keep you informed."

'Dude, that's a nice thing to do, we would have been making excuses about random places if we found out that you disappeared on us.'

_'What about Jazz, you know she is going to worry over it if you go in there.'_ Danny knew that was a problem, but what else could he do, he had to find out what exactly was going down before it was too late to even make a difference.

"You guys tell her, this feeling is not going to leave me alone and she knows something is up, just neither of us has figured it out, so I thought to check the Zone, if I don't call back... well, come find me."

'Sure thing, Dude. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?' Both Sam and Danny groaned from that, leave it to Tucker Foley, the man who likes to be called 'Too Fine' to also have the nickname of 'Bad Luck Tuck', as Danny just shook his head and closed out of the chat, shut his computer down for now and headed back down, the portal opening to him as he breathed.

"Alright... here goes nothing..." Forgoing his catchphrase, Danny changed into his ghostly alter ego and zoomed into the Ghost Zone, the portal closing after a fifteen second delay...

* * *

Ember stirred once again, but she took in a different setting, she was in a room, just a blank room as she looked about before shifting onto her feet and standing up, taking it all in before she strolled over to the window, pulling open the blinds to look out... onto Amity... Her eyes widened, somehow and in some way, she was in Amity now and it didn't look like the masked guy was anywhere near by, though clearly someone dressed her up in casual sleep wear. "How did I end up here...?" She questioned as she dropped the blinds and turned, walking across the carpet with bare feet as she detailed her new surroundings. 'Light blue walls... air fresher... and some sturdy stuff...' She mused as she lifted a number of things before she walked back to the blinds and turning to the covered glass door to her left before she stepped in front of them and rested her hands on the handles, breathing before swinging them open and striding into the daylight. She now stood on a balcony that overlooked a small portion of Amity and she frowned before something rang, she stepping back in to find the source, picking up a small cube and, as if on instinct, flicked it out with a flick of her own wrist and the call was answered.

"Hello, Miss Amber, finding your... accommodations to your liking?" She sneered as she walked back to the balcony.

"What do you think you are, I am not interested in whatever sick game that you are intent on playing here, Ember is a..."

"...A solo act, so I have heard as much." Ember frowned as she crossed an arm under and listened as the figure continued. "True that you didn't get my full... cooperation to hear out or your willing chance to listen, but that is beside the point... in a matter of speaking." She narrowed her brow as the figure continued, the thing was not a phone, it could also project a face-time image it seemed, but she just used it as a phone. "Now then, you have questions and I have answers, so let's play 'Twenty Questions', let's see if you are willing."

"I don't have time for games..." Ember growled before she paused and spoke again. "But you did something and I don't know how to counter this, so fine..." She hummed to ask one before one did. "Are you human?"

"Yes." She hummed again before another question was fired.

"Are you some sort of cyborg?"

"No." That crossed out a cripple or a limp person, but that was answered back... wherever she was with him and that strange room.

"Did you... build your gear to fight me or just ghosts in general?"

"Yes."

"Did you mean to kill those guys in the vans?"

"No." Ember paused, he just said... why did he say that if he wasn't going for a killing blast. She was a fifth of the way through and she was no closer to the truth of this being that did something, sap her powers or turned her into a human. She dismissed it for now as she continued to asked, leaning on the railing to watch the cars go.

"Did you make those things with a target in mind?"

"Yes." Now she was in something, a target would be an excellent source of knowledge to get on as she asked.

"Is your target human?"

"Yes." She didn't smile as she hummed before she asked a question that was connected with that.

"Is your target not just a human?"

"Yes." He was being open about it, but that was enough, she had a feeling as to why this guy was up to no good, it had something to do with Amity, something to do with its... protector as she stopped on the eighth question.

"Is your target Danny Phantom?" She wanted to hurl, no way would she say that dipstick's name and not gag, he has been the bane of every single spirit in the Ghost Zone... with some exceptions, but he was also hated in the real world... for what...?

"Yes." She breathed as she leaned on the railing and closed her eyes as she asked a different question.

"So, what's in it for me here?"

"Unlimited freedom..." Her eyes shot open as the figure continued. "Limitless power at your fingertips, the world for your own amusement, and nothing short of pure anarchy against the world... All you have to do is find out WHO the human side really is, snatch a dose of DNA from them, and you are free to roam, free from this small connection." Ember bit her lip as she knew that she shouldn't, the Dipstick was the best amount of excitement in the world and if this guy got his hands or whatever on a sample of Phantom... what monsters could be created, what beasts would be made... She paused as she never recalled being meek about the dangers, she was the rebellion of teen spirit, she was scared a few times when the law REALLY cracked down, but she was bold, confident, and full of power...

She looked at her hand as she thought about it, she was not a ghost right now, she didn't know what exactly went down in that crazy lab, but she was sure that she couldn't be Ember like this.

"...I don't believe you..." Ember hummed as she answered, pushing off and walking back inside, the doors closing one by one. "Tell me... What is stopping you from just wandering your little butt into Amity right now and just wrecking Phantom then bringing him back to your place?"

"Amity itself..." Ember narrowed her brow again as she turned a bit as the voice continued. "The locals would not be too keen on me getting a hold on their would-be hero, the Ghost Zone would not sit about idle in his absence and will destroy a sizable amount of the town, maybe the country if they were allowed into their dark desires." Ember grimaced at that, some of the ghosts were dark, pretty dark and they would just emit an aura of hate, spite, and bloodlust, it would be a disaster if that happened. "Also, Danny Phantom is an open target, he is targeted daily by a number of hunters, whether they are ghosts or humans themselves, he is not one of safety, but of tragic events if it came down to it. No, Amber, it needs to be subtle, beyond the lackluster eye of the people and as quiet as to not arouse guesses, this is indeed a dangerous task, but one that you will find easy, very soon." She glanced as the call finished after the last words. "Will call again for an update, do take care." The box folded back as Ember just held it and hummed, this meek nature was getting to her, but she felt more... understanding, it would be a boon for hunters if Phantom was gone, but then they would be overrun by ghosts, the GIW were WORTHLESS when it came down to it as they were just idiots and hoodlums in white, the only actual hunters were ones who lived here for a while, the Red Huntress and the Fentons, with some gimmick idiots wandering around.

'No... they NEED Phantom just as much as we need him, he is the outlet and the guardian, he shouldn't have to suffer anymore than what has already gone down with him... whatever else did happen to him." Ember thought back to a time when Clockwork, the recluse hermit of the Ghost Zone, solemnly left his tower, just watching the world pass by, but he had come once more into the fray of the Ghost Zone and it shortly involved Phantom in some way, something that struck her as odd now that she thought about it without the blazing hair and rash actions in mind. Clockwork was a powerful and influential type of ghost and what he says and does may not be apparent to everyone, but he means well for both worlds.

'He is backed up with some strong figures, meaning that he could be just relaxed about it, but this is his town... his home...' Ember looked out from the blinded window with a frown before she smiled. "Well, maybe I can get his attention for a bit, Dip wouldn't mind a bit of a rock party in the town, now would he?" She got dressed in her usual look, now including a thick coat over the teal-green look and she headed out, memorizing the room number that she was in as 'One', maybe because she was number one, or she just identified the I over the door as one before heading out, a guitar in hand for the performance she had on mind...

* * *

Danny flew true and strong as he searched the small section of the Ghost Zone to find... nothing. "Where is everyone, did they go somewhere else or are they..." Before he could finish, a voice shouted.

"Whelp!" Danny couldn't react fast enough as a net suddenly captured him and he shortly glared at Shulker who... was wearing a look of panic before he snatched the captured Phantom and zoomed for his realm, faster than he had ever seen Shulker go before they entered with a swing and shut of the door and the hunter flew true to his lair on the jungle realm and hurling Danny across the room, the net coming undone as Danny rolled and spoke.

"Shulker, what are...!?"

"Quiet!" Shulker capped a mechanized hand over Danny's mouth and slammed into the wall near the door, waiting a while before he breathed, releasing as he slid against the wall of the metal domain and glared at Danny. "What are you thinking, Whelp, do you WANT to get taken down by Walker!?" Danny returned the look as he countered.

"Well, I'm sorry, I just came here to find out WHY in all of the Realms did the ghosts I fought looked so panicked, that also involves Ember who just whizzed past me and my town and just disappeared from sight!" Shulker breathed before he leaned forward, the hatch in the back opening and the midget got out, standing on the suit's head, Danny never recalling one moment when the 'Ghost Zone's greatest hunter' had actually came out of his armor and talked as he sat down.

"Ember... she's got something to deal with out there, but as to why the fear..." Shulker rubbed his temples as he spoke. "Everything was peachy for a few days, but then someone started to soar about the Zone screaming his fool head off about a 'human running experiments with ectoplasmic powers and abilities', even said that this human, clad in metal and steel, was developing some crazy method of turning ghosts... human." Danny felt his brows raise in panic as Shulker continued. "Normally, we disregarded it as the rants of madness, like how that tech guy and Vlad went off, but soon, more and more ghosts were spreading the same rumors, I even went out myself to prove otherwise..." He pointed to a corner and Danny saw a Shulker suit, but the big problem was that there was a massive hole from front to back, no ghost powers could do that type of damage. "A hand extended in from a small, active hole and fired... some form of blast, like a visible sound blast. It tore my suit apart from the inside out, I could still feel the waves blasting through my whole body." Danny looked back as Shulker continued, his spirit damaged from the event. "The hole hasn't appeared anywhere else, but Walker, sensing that they were some foreign attack and even saw the damages from a number of blasts, sentenced the whole realm into a state of martial law. I am not going back out there right now until that has calmed down some or whatever is happening is done with."

Danny found his voice as he asked. "So... the ghosts that were rampaging... Ember...?"

"They were in a panic, all of them, and Ember and I may not be 'together' as it is..." Shulker shook his head as he rubbed again. "...I still look after her, she had a mission in mind, maybe to find this human and put them down, but something... something is wrong." He rested his blob head in his hands. "I should have kept her in before it was too risky, but you know Ember..."

"...She is the spirit of teen rebellion, the center of attention." Danny spoke as he breathed and hovered over, on the other wall and peering out as he asked. "So, is Walker rounding up everyone out of their realm or just at random?"

"His goons linger about the place, patrolling for any to capture and take back to Walker's Prison, a 'safety measure' they call it, but it is still his prison, I would rather face hundreds of your ice powers or Wail than get sent there for a long time in waiting." The blob reentered the suit and it got up with the hatch closing. "If you want to deal with the guards, that's fine with me, I may want your pelt, but I am not tangling with the guards in a matter of crisis!"

"That's okay, Shulker..." Danny grinned as he spoke. "I never was one for law enforcement by Walker's hand, and his guards will have to be excellent in their job to put me back in there." Danny bolted out the hatch and soared with speed as Shulker looked out with a hum as he commented, the door flying open before slamming closed again.

"A rare specimen indeed, but I need to bide time, no telling what Walker will do if I just go after him." With that, the hatch closed and the realm was quiet as, out in the Zone again, Danny sped his way, only stopping for guards that didn't have the mind to let him go easily...

* * *

"Are you sure that he will be okay, I mean..." Sam hummed as she continued her question to Jazz, Tucker being there too, but he was more interested in his PDA than the safety of Danny, clearly 'manly' mentality dictates that he will make it back with no injures, that didn't soothe or relieve Sam that much though. "I haven't seen the ghosts that frantic other than Pariah Dark."

"I am sure that he will be okay." Jazz answered as she turned another page in her book. "He said that he would be looking into the sudden stir of ghosts and I have no doubt that he will return just as well, but we have the harder task on hand." Beside Jazz was her laptop and she was running a program, with the help of a router program that Tucker helped make, she was pinging across Amity in search for Ember, if there was a sizable amount of power that was accustom to Ember's power, then that was where they needed to look on the sensor grid. "Ember has been quiet, silent even in the power department, and that says a lot to what is happening, Sam." A frown wore across Sam's face as she looked at the same data, a digital map of Amity, but no crazed or zealous rock and roll anywhere close by. "I am sure that our duty right now is to watch out for Ember and ensure that we can stop her before she can get her show on a roll." Sam felt her shoulders fall in concern about that.

"Okay, Jazz, I will go looking for a bit." Jazz nodded as Tucker was still absorbed into his tech as Sam headed out, the Fenton Phone on her ear to keep in contact with Jazz as she got on her bike and rode about, her role as of now was to search the town for anymore ghosts and report them to Jazz for Danny to draw from and keep an eye on, intervening to stop them if they are going too aggressive. She peered about and marked the ghosts down before she rode on, stopping as the scanner went off just as the sound of music started to play, Sam turning toward the way where the signal and sound were coming from before she stopped at a bridge, getting off as she mused the readings. 'Wow, this is some intense power fluxes, but who could be...'

"They're not gonna keep me down." Sam quickly looked around for the source as the music continued, done with both guitar and voice. "They're not gonna shut me out. They're gonna do what they do, I do me." She rushed over to one of the edge to see where the voice was coming from. Down below, against the wall with a crowd listening, was someone strange as Sam, at first, jumped to a Ember look-alike, but Danny and his friends stopped the takeover several times and ensured that Ember never had a grip, for someone to copy her design in any way was a surprise. "I'm moving against the crowd. I'm drowning out, way down. They're gonna do what they do. I do something original. Be unforgettable. They're gonna know my name." The look-alike pushed off and continued to play the music to a steady tone, not going total rock-and-roll on anyone. "One day, I'll make you a believer. One day, I got this all I need is. One day, don't try to tell me I can't." The crowd repeated the last four words as the timid star continued with a nod. "And now, I'm a light in the future. Watch out, Wont stop I'm a mover. One day, You're gonna know who I am." She leaned against the wall again as she looked to the sky, her eyes a mix of green and brown in her verse. "I will fly high and free. It's my fate, wait and see one day."

The crowd cheered as Sam just watched, confused about who the performer was as her scanner was still going ballistic and she started to look about the location for any sign of the ghost, but it came coming back to the small crowd, was someone being overshadowed. She was so distracted that she nearly missed the next part of the song, something about it resonating with her. 'But what is it about the song or the one singing it?'

"I've been afraid before. To reach for something more. But now I see that it's mine, I'll take it." It was like a routine for the star to bob from wall and the ground of stone as she continued. "Just go ahead and try. You're not gonna change my mind. There's no such thing as too late." She emitted a loud stream of 'yeah' before continuing. "One day, I'll make you a believer. One day, I got this all I need is. One day, Don't try to tell me I can't." The crowd did it again as Sam mused deeply as the singer continued, something about the scene not connecting the dots in her head. "And now, I'm a light in the future. Watch out, Wont stop I'm a mover. One day, You're gonna know who I am. I will fly high and free. It's my fate wait and see." With this, she grew bolder in her singing as she strummed out on the guitar like a lifeline. "I'm on a mission, no longer listening. To anyone that says don't try. Sometimes you feel it, deep in your spirit. It's like a fire that won't die." She hummed before going in again. "One day, Wait and see. One day, Oooh. One day, Just wait and see. One day, I'll make you a believer. One day, I got this all I need is. One day, Don't try to tell me I can't." She bobbed her head into the riff and strummed it once more out. "And now, I'm a light in the future. Watch out, Wont stop I'm a mover. One day, You're gonna know who I am." She repeated the line herself as she pressed on, the ghost scanner briefly forgotten with Sam. "I will fly high and free. It's my fate wait and see, one day." It faded out with several more 'one days' as it came to a stop and the girl smiled, the cheers filling in as people tossed in money into the guitar case before her and they often remarked or commented on her performance. Sam couldn't deny her for her performance as she lifted the scanner once more to find the ghost... only that it came going back to the singer as Sam questioned it.

'Just what does this mean...?'

* * *

Ember counted out her newly-obtained cash and nodded as she smiled a bit and stashed the money in the case, unaware of the goth on the bridge above. "Man, that sure felt good, this feeling is better than just a power boost." She lightly chuckled as she actually portrayed and played the shy rocker well, so well that she surprised herself with her skill and will. "Still, I wonder if Phantom was going to be around to hear me play..." She franticly shook her head, slamming the case closed and headed off. 'Snap out of it, McLane, listen to yourself, you are sounding like a love-struck girl, this is not the time NOR is it right, I don't want to face that event again... not again...' She headed off with ease as the crowd cleared out and she headed out to the other side of town before she paused, the abnormal structure telling her where those fanatic family of ghost hunters were, she straying form that place as she was not too sure of her changes before she entered a small park and set her gear down before she rested on the bench, eyes closed in the shade with boot on the case before a voice awoke her from her short nap, shocking as ghosts don't often need sleep or naps.

"Ember...?"


	3. Chapter III or 3

Danny zoomed out of the Ghost Zone, the alarms disabled thanks to his friends as he changed back, but that relief settled without a hold as he scaled the steps and headed to his room... or would have if he didn't hear Jazz speaking. "I don't get this, Sam is getting a fluxing reading, but I can't tell where it is coming from."

"Yeah... That sounds cool..." That sounded like Tucker and Danny looked in with intangibility to see Tucker focused on something else and Jazz groaning moodily, so he broke the ice.

"What did you find?" Tucker screamed as he toppled over and Jazz jumped before she recovered just as quickly, Tucker mourning over his now-lost tech that slipped from his fingers and under her dresser.

"Danny! I am glad that you are back, Sam also says hi." Danny nodded as he slipped through and resumed solid form as Tucker scrambled to obtain his tech again. "We have a... strange thing going on at downtown Amity, near one of the dry segments." Sam nodded as Jazz continued to Tucker's frantic hunt. "Sam's detector went off and she came across a small crowd listening to someone playing some music, the strange thing was that the power that the scanner was registering is calling it 'unknown' and just seemed to flux somehow." To add to the confusion, Jazz turned her laptop and Danny could see the same thing, whatever spirit was having its fun... or something more dire was unconsciously flexing across the power levels like crazy. He had never seen that happen before, nor had the others as Tucker cheered with the recovery of his tech to Jazz's continued reasoning. "I have been going through the archives for a while to figure out if we have ever faced a ghost that could be exhibiting this sort of behavior, no one is coming up, not even Amorpho and he is a shapeshifter from the sound of it."

"Yes, but could any one of my ghostly foes even have the ability to do that? That just makes no sense." Danny rubbed his head in confusion as the stats said as much as the energy was fluxing somehow, but he had never faced something like that. "Where was the last measure coming from?"

"Downtown, near one of the drain segments, I think, but I can run a scan for a more recent trace." Danny nodded as the Fenton siblings blocked out Tucker who was STILL praising the PDA, the map of Amity coming up as Jazz, through some careful use of the Op Center's radar array that functions with the shield, pinged form the location and soon got a hit. "It had come close to our home, but soon turned from us and entered a small park before coming to rest."

"Got it, I'll go check." Forgoing his usual battle cry, he changed into Danny Phantom and soared out, the Fenton phone on to let him know where to go and the source of the power, soaring through the radiant sky itself before he came to a halt in the air. "Alright, now, if I was a fluxing source of ghost, where would I be...?" From the air, he had a bird's view on the world, but nothing seemed to be out of the place, no trees thrashing about or flames suddenly roaring out, just a normal, peaceful day of Amity without its usual case of ghosts, due to Walker's sudden 'fear' of somebody experimenting. Still, he couldn't just let it go as he circled the park, eyes peering about for anything that could be out of the norm. "Hey, Sam, what exactly did this 'musician' look like?"

"Well, that's a hard question, Danny, she didn't match up to the whole 'Ember worship', but she had it down in looks, just not the colors or ghostly powers, has brown hair with a streak of teal or robin blue down the right side, her attire was the same, but she had a thick coat of brown or light tan on." Danny nodded as he looked around once again before deciding to get on the ground and search, turning back to Fenton as he looked about, hands in his pockets, as he searched for anyone that stood out on the ground level. "Otherwise than that, I got nothing of real value to give about it." Danny was actually glad that Valerie wasn't on patrol to shoot him out of the air or his parents right now, Jack's aim was getting better and that was a worry in of itself. He paused with one foot off the ground to spot a familiar look, the brown hair with robin blue streak was not hard to miss as he changed his direction to the sitting figure to hear... quiet snoring, she fell asleep on the bench?

Somehow that didn't make too much sense as he had seen the ghosts and they rarely just sleep, they were up two-four-seven, their lair just the same as they just never have a bed or a place to sleep which is strange, even Shulker had no bed so he was drawing from that observation. He breathed before he spoke, just guessing from the look itself. "Ember?" It was dumb, to ask some random person by the name of one of his worst foes...

...What happened was unexpected as the musician snapped out of it and tumbled off the bench, yelped as she spoke up. "Ow!" She grumbled as she pulled herself up. "Alright, who's the Dipstick who..." She paused as Danny looked into familiar eyes, once green, now a strangely calming blend of brown and green as she looked away and rubbed her eyes with a hand and looked back, still the same new color. "Oh, sorry, I thought you were a... familiar face, though you are kinda ringing bells in my head."

"The feeling's mutual... I think." Danny didn't think of a pun or comment as he just asked. "So, is that your name or not, Ember?" She hummed as she leaned on the bench before she replied.

"Not... exactly, I don't know if I can still be called that... considering the day I went through." 'Ember' hummed as she rested her head on her planted arms. "But, if it's cool, I would perhaps to be called normally, you know, just Amber, with an A."

"Whoa... I know someone with the same name as me, but they go by an 'I' instead." Danny remarked as Amber shrugged and lifted up her case, it looking fine and the instrument as well as Danny continued. "So does this mean that you are..."

"Like I said..." Amber huffed as she closed the case again and leaned in her seat. "I don't know if I can still be called that, I mean, it is kinda of my name nowadays, but with the strange things going down and getting a face full of karma, I can't do much..." She cast a side glance as she looked Danny over. "So, this is who you are... as human, I mean...?" Danny looked at her in confusion before it registered as evident that he was blabbering out who he was in the first place.

"Well, this is... me, just what I look like and that stuff..."

"Huh, thought you would be muscled, with all those punches." Amber sighed as she continued, rubbing her bridge. "Listen, whatever went down, I am not sure if I can fight you like this."

"But, you're Ember McLain..."

"Yeah, but look..." She raised a hand and snapped, nothing happening as she rested the hand back down, not only confirming it for Danny, but her as well. "I got nothing, whatever happened to me has either sapped me dry and turned me human or something crazy..."

"Between a town of crazy guys, ghosts roaming about and possessing people, or a tech ghost possessing a orbital satellite?"

"Huh, Technus really did that?; I thought he was bluffing..." At least she was not playing the fool or anything as she hummed, the turn of personality a switch from the bold, confident Rockstar. "I don't know this guy, but he was skilled, like crazy ninja master skilled and looked more some crazy cyborg when he found and fought me and when he..." She paused and leaned forward as she held her head as Danny reached out.

"When he did what?" She was quiet as Danny repeated. "Ember, what did he..."

"Don't... touch me..." Danny pulled his hand back as Ember leaned back up. "I am not sure yet if I should say the events behind this guy and how he turned me into this, but let's get things straight..." She pointed at Danny as she answered. "My name is Amber, call me by that and nothing else..." She paused as she thought about it. "Anyway, I... need to head on back, guy rigged up a cushy apartment and I am dragging it out as is." Amber stood up and headed out, leaving Danny on the bench as he pondered.

'If she is telling the truth, then there is no reason for her to be exhibiting any ghost powers, that Sam's tracker was just catching a ghost as it whizzed past this new development... but I think it is more than that... much more...'

* * *

Amber reentered her apartment and set her stuff down, the numbers on the digital clock reading five twenty-two meaning that it was close to the third meal of the day, but that was far from her mind as she headed to the bathroom, filled up a tub with warm water, and removed her attire before stepping in, lounging in the soothing water as she thought about it. Yes, she was turned into a human somehow and recapping how it went down, a vial of something... sluggish and felt like oil over her whole body before the volts, like enough to put her out of her misery as she pulled a hand and rested it on her chest breathing before she paused...

THUMP-THUMP... THUMP-THUMP... THUMP-THUMP...

'Well, that DOES confirm I am human again, not a ghost in a corpse...' The hand slipped off and she hummed to her own thoughts, a unlit candle on the sink that she put there for the interest of having some form of semblance of peace. "What exactly happened, a bunch of volts, some strange formula into the veins and what...?" She groaned loud and relaxed back down, breathing it in before she stopped, sniffing the air in confusion. "Hold on... why is it smelling like someone just dropped me in some highland world...?" She peered about in her sitting up before she looked to the candle... lit and burning with a azure flame as she looked at it. 'What the...?" She gasped as she looked to her hair, the streak blazing in its teal flame as she calmed down some, the hair going out to its dark teal color and the candle followed suit to the half-consumed candle.

"Did I just...?" She paused before she stood up, wrapping a towel around her as she had quickly adjusted to her new human form and picked up the cube, flicking it out and the ringing cut after the first series.

"Ms. McLain, what can I do for you...?"

"Cut the chatter..." Ember glanced to her bathroom and looked back. "I need some details and you are the only guy that I would know that COULD have the answer."

"I see... so the 'Demi' is asking for a chance to find out the real tale, how cliché." Amber growled as the figure on the other side spoke. "Are you aware of halfas, McLain?"

"As if I would..."

"MS. McLain..." Ember quieted quick to the tone as it sounded like she just pressed the wrong button and waiting for the cops to get her. "I had asked of you a simple task, find out the identity of Danny Phantom, his human identity, and you speak as if you have never heard of halfas...!"

"W-Well, that's..." But the tension eased as the figure sighed, likely rubbing his temples before he continued.

"Amber McLain, the Ghost Zone and the Human World are interacted on a cellular level, but neither can involve the other without a stable link between the two or a unstable passage through time and space." Ember nodded as she sat down and listened. "But what happens if someone, ghost or human, plant themselves into the opening of such a link, what would happen...?" For the first time, she didn't have an answer, the opening of any sort of portal was actually very dangerous, no one knows fully what would actually happen if one stood in the exact place of a portal opening and, sure there was a few scholars and brains pondering the same thing, but never willing to do it as the figure spoke. "The rarity is a one in twenty-five thousand, but if exposed to those same amounts of energy, ghost or human, the other world interacts with them, changing them, altering their very biology to the point that even a cell is spliced down to the last and nothing can be told... but that is not the point here, is it?" A shift and a continued line. "What happened, Amber?"

"Well, I was just in the bath, thinking to myself about something and getting a bit angry with it before I started to smell... pine or whatever high land stuff my candle is made of, it just ignited on its own and my streak was blazing the same, like..."

"It is as I have believed, the 'Demi' has reawakened to her powers..." Ember paused at the sound; What the heck is a Demi!? "I will need to check this possibility closer, McLain, I will be in Amity shortly, but before then, I expect you to stay put, impossible as that is, just stay..." Ember didn't mumble a single thing before the line cut and she looked at the cube as it collapsed back to its usual form before she sighed.

'Well, now I am going to get some guy in a mask answer my question in person, maybe Phantom with deal with him and ease this new burden off me...' She shook her head as she put the cube back down and headed back. 'In the meantime, I have some cleaning to finish and some relaxing to enjoy for now...' The door closed and she hummed her song as she relaxed, not knowing what was going to happen next...

* * *

The figure stomped out across the land as he neared Amity, but he was not there to deal with Amber McLain's sudden emergence of her powers once more only, he was also there for a short situation that he needed to do before he continued.

The G.I.W were overstepping themselves, he had found a number of wiretaps and machines trying to listen in on everyone's conversation, now he didn't mind using those same methods to find out who was who and what, BUT he didn't debate to the fanatic and hatred that filled the organization against everything related to ghosts or ecto-plasmid entities. He paused before the structure that served as the main HQ of the GIW and their labs. The blues that hid under the hood glowed as he raised his hands, they glowing a pale white energy before he looked forward. "I have disregarded you for the longest time and I have left your warmongering ways to contend with my own interests."

The power started to waived and the ground started to shake as he slowly got down on his knees and rested his hands on the ground and earth. "But I have hit my patience and it is time to make a statement, a VERY LOUD one..." The ground cracked and shook, but he wasn't just going for the shattered earth as it fissured up to the building. "If you want to see ghosts, then say hello to them for me, your placement is reckless, foolhardy even." Before his own eyes, the fissures started to glow red before erupted in magma and lava, devouring everything that was the structure and building, the sounds coming out as he got back up and straightened up, turning to the distant town and walked in the shadow of the world as the building sunk more and more into the molten matter.

No, he was not just there to check out Amber's sudden awakening, he was there to also put an end to a organization that had been pestering him for the longest time, cheapskates and mongrels of the finest piece of hate, thieves of the hard-working people of the world, and liars of the greatest tales. He was there to put an end to them and they were foolish enough to draft all to that exact location...


	4. Chapter IV or 4

Danny was taking it easy again as he thought it over. Ember was out and about, but she was human, turning into that by someone who was interested in something, but what? The first thought was the 'destruction' of Danny Phantom and it seemed the most likely, but some facts did fit into the puzzle like Ember was genuine about it and she had explained that she didn't know the guy or what he had done, just that she was not in a bind. At that point, points two and three were left in the dust as he hummed to himself and just shook his head before heading downstairs, sitting down on the couch and turning on the TV, groaning aloud to the news as it continued before he reached for the remote again, having tossed it to the other side for some reason before something popped up.

_"...And in other news, as of two fourteen AM, the organization known as the G.I.W or the Guys in White, have unexpectedly been wiped off the face of the Earth."_ Danny paused in confusion at the sound as he snatched the remote, but didn't turn it off as he listened. _"That's right, the 'self-proclaimed' paranormal branch of the government has been unexpectedly been destroyed somehow, theories have been flying across the place, but the most common seems to be a belief that the G.I.W. dug into a magma chamber below the ground and it erupted around them, destroying their main headquarters where it is believed that all of the members had been on account of a recent change."_ Danny didn't want to believe that, but... what if it was true...? _"Local law enforcement and medical personnel attempt to make headway and find any survivors of this devastating event and our dear mayor has much to say about this..."_ At this, Danny shut off the set and laid back in thought.

Something strange was going on in Amity, he needed to find out why and soon, if the Geeks in White were just knocked off the docket, then who knows who's next on that unknown list as he breathed before getting outside and going ghost, taking flight as a way to clear his head, the ghosts were not coming out of their hiding holes anytime soon, and Vlad... well, there were some things about him that never were quite right with the guy, but he had somehow grown tame in recent days and seemed to be at a loss of something, especially with Jack as the big guy and his father seemed to be more withdrawn with his former friends, sometimes talking to him and answering to a solemn tone, even Vlad's voice sounded... dismayed and he was a corporate scoundrel. Danny shook his head as he flew about, searching here and there for anything he could do, but nothing jumped out as some people either screamed to his fly-by or cheered for him, a number of people heedless to his presence in the first place before he came to Casper and floated down, humming as he looked about. "Ember... no, Amber said that she was unsure of her contact and that she would be wandering the town yesterday for more performances, Casper's got to be one of them because... fan base?" That was a bluff if nothing else, but he didn't have much to go off of as he turned back into Fenton and wandered about, the school was actually out on the account that ghosts could be attacking and the ghost hunters had lost a sizable amount of members to a 'volcanic eruption', the only ones left would be his parents, some wannabes, and...

He didn't mused too long before an ecto gun was pointed straight at his face and he grimaced to the person holding it, the ONLY ghost hunter who would severely put him down, Valerie Grey aka the Red Huntress. She paused form the scowl before she spoke, the gun collapsing back into the suit. "Oh, sorry, Danny, I didn't know you were wandering the school."

"Yeah, I thought to check it out, something... weird is going down."

"You tell me, first Phantom somehow misses a washup Rockstar, goes off the grid, and now the Grunts in White are terminated off the grid!" Valerie yelled as Danny just looked at her. "I bet that ghost is behind this whole mess..."

"If that's so, Val, then why are you...?" Valerie groaned as she pulled up a scanner or mini-map of the school.

"Phantom was coming up on this place, so I thought I could ambush him here, but he disappeared and I just jumped at the first person who were making noise in the halls." She shook her head as she walked past. "Word of advise, never wander around in these places too long, there is no telling when a ghost is going to attack." She formed her board and took off as Danny just sighed.

'You have no idea, Val...' Danny spent the next few minutes searching for any clues as to where Ember could be, but then he heard the boom, switching back to Phantom and taking off to find out the source of the explosion, unprepared for what he may find...

* * *

Valerie paused in the air as she peered about, looking for any sightings of the vile ghost and trying to find out where he went from Casper before she stopped, peering to the side to someone in a cloak and looking at a device in hand. Without thinking, she wheeled about and primed a ecto gun. "Who are you!?" The figure paused and glanced to her, blue lens looking at her with something silver under the hood as he, from the tone of voice, spoke.

"Who are you to demand the same from me, I don't have time to deal with some wannabe flygirl." He nearly move before a round fired, frying the ground and made him pause as Valeria spoke again.

"I won't miss a second time." The figure hummed in displease as the device disappeared into the cloak and a gauntlet emerged from under the fabric as he retorted.

"Are you trying to win a award for 'best hunter', 'cause if so, then you have shot at the wrong target." The mechanical construct started to glow before he threw it, a shockwave blasting and knocking Valerie off her board before it caught her mid-flight and the figure spoke. "A human using an full-body ecto armor that is loaded with all sorts of tricks and traps? Who was the specter that gave you that suit?"

"How about I don't tell you!" Valerie unleashed a barrage as the figure dodged and duck, weaving through the fire with practiced ease before Valerie fired a stray and it slammed into the figure knocking him into a wall as she hovered down, twin guns primed. "Now you will tell me what you know and I MAY let you off the hook." The figure grimaced as he touched the mark and pulled away with a little amount of red, the blue switching to yellow.

"You know, I was playing nice, hitting you with a five percent shot, and you do this to me, you are no better than the GIW, I should have guessed." He straightened up with a stand as both hands were freed and started to shake with energy. "Then maybe, it's time for a twenty-five percent, let's see how your suit handles this!" He thrusted both forward with a clap of thunder and the shockwave was intense, Valerie tried to put up a shield, but the blast shattered it and slammed her into the distant wall, fracturing it, as windows and cars shattered and erupted into flames, no one else injured in the small location before the blast settled and Valerie dropped to the ground, gasping as she felt... liquids oozing out of her gut as she tried to get a ecto blaster ready before a boot stomped on her wrist, she yelping before she was kicked over. "Worthless, you think that was my strongest attack, I have been analyzing ghosts and their abilities for two years and I have been studying the power of Phantom, to find out WHO and WHAT he is, this was just a taste of power that Phantom could project... at this time..." The figure snatched her throat and lifted her up with ease. "Now... the ghost or ectoplasmic scum that gave you that suit, who was it and what was the reason for it...!?"

"It is mine..." A fist slammed hard and Valerie felt the blood gush out a bit faster as the figure spoke.

"I don't have time for bull, nor your self-righteous behavior, wise up and talk if you still value breathing." Another primed and Valerie was seeing dots before a voice called out.

"Let her go, dude!" The figure turned to the arriving hero and dropped Valerie to the ground as he spoke with the full turn.

"The talk of the town, whether it be villain or hero, the elusive Phantom." He chuckled before he continued. "You are one tough cookie to locate, but here you are, right here and now." He extended his arms to the carnage that surrounded them. "Like it? This is what your power could be if you were not holding back, the closest compare would be the Ghost Wail that you possess."

"Are you my therapist or my undertaker?"

"Oh, I'm just a scientist..." The figure chuckled as both fists glowed again. "And you know how we scientists like to poke and prod things." He lashed out a pair of blasts, Danny taking it as he was launched back and the figure made up the distance with abnormal speed. "Now then, let's see if you are fully the 'scum' that the people call or that you are a larger target with a bull's eye on the back."

"I hate being pointed out like I AM dead, in the first place." Danny righted himself and fired a few blasts, the figure stopping before knocking the shots aside or dodging them. "Hold still and I could get a decent shot off."

"I would rather not, the stupid girl already nicked me and I am pretty sure she will turn up dead, the next time she engages me with boldness again." The figure returned volley and Danny pulled the same tricks, it becoming a exchange of blasts and maneuvers before the figure slid some to the sound of a vehicle approaching, glancing back as the Fenton RV came into sight.

"HERE WE ARE, GHOST BOY, AND WE WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THE TOWN!"

"EAT ECTO BLASTER, YOU ECTOPLAMSIC MENACE!" The Fentons arrived, but the figure sneered as he turned from Danny and faced the oncoming vehicle.

"You all are trying my patience!" The right hand charged before he shouted. "Begone from my sight!" He punched and the blast smashed the left side so hard that the RV started to roll as Maddie shouted.

"JACK!"

"No!" Danny flew for the flying vehicle and quickly caught it before it could slam into the ground and erupt, he groaning as Maddie seemed to be trying to get Jack back up as the figure spoke.

"I am done here, this bitter conflict has been nothing but interruptions and bothers, I have a client to tend to." With that, the figure took off into the other roads and streets before emergency personnel arrived, to pick up the wounded and help where they can, Phantom forgotten as he was there to help, but didn't have an answer for the devastation that tore through, he only get there when the Huntress faced that unknown figure... and lost...

* * *

Amber was speechless when she saw the news, paid for from the pocket of her unknown benefactor. At least ten city blocks were devastated, empty ones for sure, but still the fact that it happened made her wish to never get on the bad side of whoever did it and to hear that both the Red Huntress, a capable ghost hunter, and the Fentons were injured badly was a sign that Phantom was in deep if he took on this foe without a possible chance of injures in the city, it had to be away. A knock at the door and Amber spoke up, turning the TV off. "Coming!"

She hurried over like she was afraid of who was coming and opened the door to the one figure that she was not expecting. "B-B-Boss!"

"Please, I do have a name, but let's call me Fist for now." He spoke before tapping on the wood, those silver gauntlets washed a bit, but nothing could really hide the scent of blood. "May I come in, Ms. McLain?"

"S-Sure!" She opened the door fully and he walked in, the cloak dropping on to the rack and he straightened up as she took in the figure under. He were not toned to be a bodybuilder or a jock, but like an gymnast or something as mechanical parts and pieces seemed to extend across his body before all of it slipped into a pack he had on his back and he removed the mouthpiece before speaking again, the eyes still hidden under blue lens.

"Now then, Amber, let's see what exactly is going on in your body, nothing too invasive, just need you to lay down and breathe."

"And what...?"

"Just lay down." Amber yielded as she laid down on the couch and Fist pulled a device from his pack before planting it on her back, she gasped as a pulse echoed out and spread through her body. "Don't fret too much, what this device does is map out the basic makeup of your body, humans never have enough of a charge to give the device much of a pain, ghosts would overcharge it and short it out the readings, so can you describe the feeling?" She bared her teeth and felt her body blazing like we was standing in a pyre herself as she gripped the sofa.

"It feels like... my body is on fire?!" She growled before she felt it change and she breathed easy before she spoke. "What did you...?"

"I turned it up, that feeling of burning is a reaction of a weaker presence trying to overwhelm your body, naturally trying to force the presence out of your body, by turning up the power range on the device, I may evidently be pushing the powers you now retain to poke and prod the new feelings throughout, people would believe it impossible, but I have done my research with a more open perspective." The feeling seeped away and Amber felt like she was on cloud nine in relief before she heard a pop and she regained focus as Fist held the device before standing up and pulling out his cube, flipping out before inserting the device, a flat-looking device like a plate dish, into the opening that appeared and suddenly, it become a projector as it displayed a three-dimensional figure of Ember's body, getting down to the nerves that pulsed and glowed at times as she stood up and shock as Fist spoke. "Do you want me to explain it for you, just in case?"

"That is kind of obvious, what exactly am I looking at?" Fist nodded as he motioned across the body, keeping toward the veins and nerves as he explained.

"As I should have explained beforehand, your role as a 'Demi', a terming to define you and others, is a biology of both human and ghost anatomy matched and mixed in a 'impossible' combination, but both hold the same organs that maintain and support their existence." He pointed them out as he continued. "The core which settles in the same position as a human heart while also slumbering within that vital organ and this..." He pointed down the spinal realm until stopping at a mid point with a small orb had formed, but Amber didn't recognize it. "This may be something very strange, but this is called the 'Leyline', the secondary source of power that halfas can pull from, in case the core is out of commission or is ongoing a core evolution. It acts as a secondary heart, twice as durable, but it functions as a slower core."

"But what does that have to do with my powers?" Fist raised a brow as he instead pointed back to the core and circled it.

"The procedure that you underwent was not flawless, but I have recognized what exactly happened, it was that the Leyline had to make a slow connection between your core and its new human housing, that's why your powers were not as evident from the get-go, it needed to adjust to the new house it found itself with the core and slowly empower the body to feel and understand the same powers as your ghost body, it could be termed easily if you expected a case of ecto-acne, but it instead manifested through a dose of aggressive emotions, something aggravating your natural state of mind." Amber looked at him funny as Fist tilted his head to the side as well in a shrug as he continued. "Still, this is a turn of events, meeting Phantom and seeing what set you off, this is rather..." He hummed before he finished. "Exciting..."

"You think all of this is fun and games?"

"Do you find the world one big stage to play on?" Amber opened her mouth to counter, but couldn't as Fist turned, his appearance youthful, like hers, with the lens gazing back at her. "No, this is not fun and games, some of this is tragedy and filled with dread, but should the world be perfect to forget basic human emotions and behaviors...?" He shook his head and continued. "Maybe we can decide otherwise on our opinions, but if you want to resume fighting as a foe, then I will not stop you, I only seek prove that Phantom is like you in the first, that he is a Demi and that he is not a fully ghost and for his human side, if it is true, to be exposed to me for me to understand how he managed such feats." He rolled his wrist as he headed for the door, picking up the cube and folding it back up, the display gone as well. "We all have our decisions and choices, it is only up to us to decide, the words and tones of other may change that, but it is just us with those choices." He spoke as he left the room behind, giving Amber a possible reason and will to do more than just linger in a apartment as he flipped out the cube out again and brought up the data of a ghost that nearly slipped past him and he captured before taking it back to his current lab on the abandoned section of town.

'Name: Hatamat Bulum aka. Desiree'  
'Status: Inactive'  
'Species: Human (former), Ghost (former), Demi'  
'Notes: Strange enough, found a ghost that once had a past life and made the mistake of asking if I had a wish, pity that turned out rather strange after capturing her and looking up the details. Once human, but had a harsh life change from being a harem girl to a kind Sultan to being banished by a jealous wife. Since then, has seemed to grant wishes, but started to twist them when all those who wished and were male instead took on human woman instead of her, I sense a active subject to get into. Details can wait as Subject has been subjected to the same treatment and dose as Subject ATM (bad codename, but has to do), and is likely to still be slumbering before my arrival. Also, former name is form the banishment, not actually the real name.'  
'Age: Mid Twenties'  
'COA: Ease Subject into a new life and explain what has undergone within.'

A small smile slipped out before the mask found it's place back over his mouth and the hood hid his features as he pocketed the device as well. He was going to be having a grand plan with Amity, it only came down to how it would go out for everything else...


	5. Chapter V or 5

Danny was not sure how to face it, but he needed to as he took a breath and turned to the tow truck that had come and started to haul away the devastated Fenton RV. He was right there and he couldn't do much in the way of helping as his parents, the ghost hunters of Amity, were taken away for medical treatment as Maddie only had a fractured wrist and bruised series across her back from things flying into her, but Jack was worse as he sustained a concussion, his left side was subjected to intense amount of energy, not ecto weapons as Danny DID look into it and ecto weapons were thermal in energy and presence, to neutralize ghosts and ecto-based beings, despite any fire core or the like.

But Valerie was MUCH worse, even if she tried pull it off as she was a simple bystander to the conflict, Danny could tell that her ribs were cracked some, her wrist broken, and she suffered a number of other injures across her body, but the gash in her head from a piece of falling debris grazed her and left a bloodied mess in her hair and on her skull as her suit shattered when she dropped from the walling. That was all she could say as she too was pulled into the ambulance and hauled away as Danny, after turning back to Fenton in a random alley with flying off, headed back and took in the ruined RV, it was good and terrible at the same time, but Danny couldn't help but look at the damages that it suffered.

To say that it was just a piece ripped out was an understatement as the whole left side was collapsed from the presence of whatever was fired, Jack was lucky that he didn't lost his arm as it sure looked like the limb would have been ripped right out with a few pounds of metal, circuits and rubber as the tires were torn from the upper section and that caused the RV to flip and roll, Danny only lucky to have saved them in time. They may hate Phantom, but he was sure as all of the Ghost Zone to NOT let anyone die on his watch in the first place. Still, it was a sobering moment, much like so many of his otherworld adventures and... the dark future, he was near powerless, nearly everyone was that came, the 'scientist' just seemed to toy or tease the game that he had made, but he did sense a hint of anger, did Valerie really push this guy so much or was it something else altogether? Danny shook his head as he headed home, bypassing Phantom for the moment as he thought about it in the walk, pausing once to answer a call and lifted it to his ear as Sam's voice came through. "Danny... you OK?"

"Well, I've been better..." Danny glanced back before walking on. "...Not that it will help Val or my parents recover. Whoever the guy was, he really tore into Val and nearly wrecked the GAV, NEARLY being a key word, thing is completely totaled from the left, Dad is going to be heartbroken with that."

"Are you flying or walking?"

"Walking, I need some air on the ground right now, after what just happened, people are going to be looking for someone to blame and, since Guy's gone, it's going to be Phantom for the most part."

"Yeah, I managed to slip away from my parents who are going ballistic at the manor, turns out that the damages were buildings that they wanted to demolish, but with the sudden attack and the GIW OUT of commission, they are losing both sanity and money."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I just took up residence at your house, with Jazz, that way I can stay close enough to figure out this crazy mystery with the Team and avoid the insanity going down at home, I made sure that I had two week's worth before heading out." Danny frowned as he asked.

"What about your grandmother?"

"She is content just resting for now, I promised to visit her and show that I am STILL alive from the Fenton madness." Danny chuckled with Sam as she spoke again. "In any case, I wanted to see if you were okay and also that you missed a ghost." Danny raised his brow as he started to pick up the pace.

"Who!?"

"Calm down and I'll explain." Danny slowed and breathed before he resumed walking and Sam answered. "Desiree was the ghost that bolted out of the Fenton portal and went heading eastward, toward the... destroyed GIW site."

"Was?" Jazz coughed and Sam turned the phone over to Danny's older sister as she spoke.

"Desiree only made it to the outskirts before she just vanished, it is not like Ember that just disappeared when you gave chase, she was on the sensor and we were planning on calling you to inform you what happened before she just disappeared, not even a trace of her presence in the town as you would be facing living monster trucks and candy waves right now... and a bellowing ghost."

"Yeah, those are hard to miss..." Danny spoke as he picked up the pace once more and seemed to be flying across the sidewalk. "I'll be there shortly, I just... wanted to see the damages as Fenton."

"I understand, get back safe." Danny hummed in agreement as the call cut and he pocketed the phone before doing it again, Desiree was one ghost that he would prefer NOT to let roam and if she was out now, then there was concern to worry, but if both Sam and Jazz were right and if the same thing happened to Desiree, then it would be a fair bet that the culprit was the same guy that Ember, no, Amber was talking about as well as he made it back and scaled upward, coming to a slide... and a slip before he reached the door and both looked up as Danny was panting. Jazz raised a brow as she spoke. "Wow, needy much for a therapy session?"

"Ha ha, funny, Jazz." She just smiled and shrugged as Danny spoke again. "So anyone else that we need to worry about before we go hunting?"

"No, the portal is closed and we are not going hunting." Danny nearly piped up as Sam calmly explained it. "I know you want to hunt down this guy for hurting your folks and attacking the town, but with no leads, we can't start tearing through town and Tucker is already trying that, when he is not vain flirting." Danny nodded as he stood up a bit more from his hunched entrance. "Besides, you said that Ember is not only about, the same rock star that I found, but that she was turned fully human and has no clue as to her captor slash scientist."

"Well... yeah." Danny spoke as he leaned on the door frame. "I mean, it sure seemed like that she was being genuine about it and sure didn't try to bash my head with a guitar, she did seem touchy about something, she stopped up when she was explaining her encounter... and she actually insists that she is called Amber, with an A."

"Oh, like her!" Sam started, but when Jazz gave a look, Sam shook her head and spoke. "In any case, finding her may be our first course of action before we can start finding out who exactly is behind this new turn." Danny nodded as Sam typed out some data and Danny nodded as he looked it over before Jazz could recover to the statement. "I have pinpointed a few locations that you can start to search, Tucker should already be at one so get a move on."

Danny raised a brow as he asked. "What about you?"

"I'll be down in the lab..." Sam spoke as she finished downloading the data before closing the laptop. "...If I can figure out what this guy's abilities are, then maybe we can find ways to stop them and render him powerless, should he turn up again."

"That makes sense, let's get going." Both left the room behind as Jazz paused, raised a finger, before it turned into a open hand while she had a look of confusion on.

"Did I miss something there...?"

* * *

As it turned out, Tucker fell into a cycle of rejection, flirt, and repeat. "Ah man!" Tucker grimaced as he marked ANOTHER attempt off his PDA, he didn't even remember what Sam was so worried about it that needed him out there so he stalled his time with some good ol' 'Too Fine' tries, but either the ladies wised up to some cheap tricks or they know his 'supposed' type, but that did not stop him as he motivated himself. "If these ladies are not ready for the Tuck Man, then it's their loss, soon they will see that I am indeed a gift from God...!" He started to look around for any more that he try his best before a familiar tune started to play.

"It was, it was September." Tucker turned the corner to the same artist playing the same song that lead to near all of Casper falling under the siren spell and the main theme of Ember McLain, but this one played it like a sorrowful song. "Winds blow, the dead leaves fall. To you, I did surrender. Two weeks, you didn't call." What emotion could be done, she didn't show as she just played the slowed song to her own tempo. "Your life goes on without me. My life, a losing game. But you should, you should not doubt me. You will remember my name." She hummed as she went in, Tucker REALLY clueless as to why this softcore sorrow song than the upbeat, rock-hard sound. "Oh, Ember, you will remember. Ember, one thing remains. Oh, Ember, so warm and tender. You will remember my name." Tucker tuck back into the wall as he rang it up as the artist just strummed a bit.

"Uh, guys, do we know of anyone else REALLY knowing Ember's song?"

"Not really, Ember is very possessive, I mean VERY possessive of who sings her song."

"Yeah, well, knock one off the docket, our mystery singer is doing just that." He peered back as a crowd was starting to form to hear the song.

"Your heart, your heart has rendered. Your loss, now bear the shame. .Like dead trees, in cold December. Nothing but ashes remain." Tucker grimaced as he started to lose sight and decided to scale a ladder up to get a clear view and ensure that, this time, she didn't get away and they find out who was the singer. "Oh, Ember, you will remember. Ember, one thing remains. Ember, so warm and tender. You will remember my name." The crowd didn't join in as they whispered and commented as the solemn mood was all over the place, not like Spectra, but just a sense of loss, of regret, and of pain. "Ember, you will remember. Ember, one thing remains. Ember, so warm and tender. You will remember my name." She hummed once more before finishing. "Yeah... You will remember my name." The fingers left the guitar as Tucker raised the phone a bit just in time for Danny to question, the swishing meaning that he was in flight.

"Where are you?"

"Down by Spec Road, briefly off of the Ter pipeline."

"...Did you just...?"

"Nope, I have no idea what you're talking about." Danny groaned as he spoke.

"Fine, I'm picking up the speed and if I find you flirting, Sam's boot will be the least of your worries."

"What, you going to hang me from the flagpole?"

"Only for a few hours, TF." Tucker grimaced as Sam added to the chat, her typing meaning that she must be in the lab right now.

"He is bluffing, that is just his concerned tone and I don't want to doubt him right now."

"Yeah, yeah... lovebirds." Tucker cut the line quickly before he got an ear full of 'WE'RE NOT LOVEBIRDS' as he resumed watching before he ducked down some as something was not right, even the performer, with the clearing audience, seemed to tense as, from behind a sealed-off access tunnel, came a figure, drabbed in cloak and a hint of a silvery thing protruding out where the mouth would be as the singer spoke first.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just checking on your 'enjoyable' performance, Ms. McLain." The figure returned as she seemed to stare at him, a notion that Tucker took was that the teal streak was glowing, like fire. "So, have you or have you not been in contact with Phantom?" The singer looked to make a 'tch', but reframed from it and spoke.

"Even if I did, I can't tell you anything, it is our 'personal' code to not tell secrets like that, they are privy to their own thing, it's an 'unsaid' rule."

"I see..." The figure seemed to hum before continuing. "If you could, explain it out, you sound like you understand this unspoken rule." The singer stepped back as if she was surprised that she was being asked that question before stepping back and speaking.

"It is actually a ancient rule, only a ghost with the secret can reveal that, no other can as it was made back when Pariah Dark was ruler..."

"A tyrant...?"

"The worst..." The singer bit her lip as she continued. "In any case, the vow is upheld by existing 'guardians' and enforced often to keep the world in balance of sorts, it is said that if you break the word of a ghost secret, then the embodiment of fear would come and take you away to the clock's prison, to face his punishment due to how severe the secret is, if it is a minor one, then the best you could get is some time trapped in a dark chamber, but for the most important terrifying, it is said that Time would banish them to a realm between realms, a place called Mementos where you are faced with the secret of every living soul, dead AND alive. Nowadays, it is only a myth, but the punishment is still dangerous for a ghost to break."

"I see... a vow of silence in respect for another..." The figure hummed, a gauntlet coming out and resting to the jaw or thing. "Very well, I will not give in, but this has been an enlightening prospect..." The gauntlet went down and slipped back into the cloak. "Tell me, do you see Phantom as a hero or a villain?"

"Well..." The singer paused as she seemed to hum as well to the thought, Tucker suddenly feeling his mind click to something, the figure was calling her McLain, but there were no other McLains in Amity except the specter, so that didn't seem possible... right? "If I were to give an opinion, he fits in as a hero, he just has a sense of duty about this place and he just insists on keeping it safe from anyone trying to make a mess of things, whether it be just random acts, schemes, or even just boredom."

"I see..." Tucker quickly ducked down, but his dodge shifted some stone and then came a crack as some of the masonry erupted, he stifling his sound as the figure spoke again. "Get going, I believe I heard a rat on the roofs." To the sound of rushing boots and the stomp of another pair, Tucker kept down as the voice spoke up. "So we can do this the easy way or the hard way, peeper, just reveal yourself and that building will remain standing, if not, then I will be the wrecking ball today, your call..." Tucker didn't want to reveal himself, if this was the same guy that wrecked Val and nearly took out the Fentons, then he was NOT going to reveal himself just like that. "Alright, you asked for it." The fact of the building was that, despite its well-furnished appearance, it was also empty, recently built and was going to be rented out for some people, but there would be no other injures, other than him as he felt the building shake and start to topple as he screamed, just as a cold presence saved him from the crumbling building and brought him down quickly elsewhere.

"Tucker!" He removed his hands and breathed as Danny Phantom was holding him.

"Thanks, man, I would have been a goner!" Tucker was put down as he spoke. "Listen, that guy seemed too interested in you, he nearly blasted me to bits!"

"Yeah, kind of cluing in on that as well, either he's a Vlad or a lot worse like Shulker." Danny took flight as he spoke. "Now I have an appointment with the Doc!" He took off as Tucker yelped.

"You know I can't handle hospital puns!" Danny soared back over and landed as the figure turned, gauntlet still glowing before fading with a gripped hand.

"He didn't want to show himself, Phantom." The figure shrugged as he continued. "So, I did what no fully sane person would do, I just brought down the building."

"You nearly killed him!" Danny yelled as he got into stance as the figure spoke.

"It would have been his own fault if he didn't reveal himself, if anything, he should know better than to peep on a conversation between two people." The two started to circle each other, waiting for the other to strike. "But now, I am going to have to view him much closer, you spent some time chatting him up before coming to face off."

"He's a... very devoted fan, he is just interested in me, that's all."

"Oh, then there is possibility that he COULD have a few secrets that he would be willing to tell... for a price, then." They stopped as the gauntlets glowed once more with their pale aura as the blue lens under the hood seemed to glow brighter. "Now then, let us dance, Phantom, and banter."

"Any secret of mine is mine and I am not sharing!" Danny struck first as he rushed the figure, going into a flurry of punches and kicks to hit the swift movements of his foe before he jab his foot, only to have it caught and he hurled away and down the way as he shook it off. "I heard of throwing someone, but that was just downright crazy."

"You don't know the half of it." The mystery guy started to throw punches of the strange power that tore down the building and wrecked the GAV, Danny dodging them before he got a chest full and crushed into the ground, panting from the intense pain that lanced through. "I am surprised that you could take that, not many people are able to withstand even a fraction of power from my blasts."

"What the heck was in that punch, concrete!?"

"Funny, but no." the figure rolled the wrist as he came closer. "What I use in response to your results and studies is a semi-seismic energy blast that can easily destroy vehicles, no matter their armor, and fatally injure humans, but it also makes a ghost's essence solid enough to affect physically, hence the punch, Phantom, it does have a nice taste to it, doesn't it?"

"Yeah..." Danny coughed a bit as he got up. "But it tastes horrible, like spoiled fruit."

"Ah well..." The figure gripped Phantom by the throat and lifted. "Next time, perhaps I can make it taste a bit better by your standards." Pressure started to be applied as Danny started to struggle. "Now then, let's see how long it will take for you to pass out and change, we have no crowd, no witnesses..." A hidden smile slipped out. "Just you... and me." It started to get tougher and tougher to breath and Danny started to see dots in his vision as he tried to keep conscious before a guitar strum rang out and the figure was launched, Danny gasping as he took in who just saved him, the same person that talked to him at the park as she spoke.

"I will not let you off him that way."

"So, the musician wanted to keep the fun to herself..." The figure stood back up as he spoke. "I gave you a choice to go and do your own thing, but now you wish to stand against me? That is bold to say the least." Amber said nothing at first as a ring approached around her, splitting in two to reveal Ember McLain in full glory, the only difference was the teal streak turning pure white and blazing with the same strength.

"Well, boldness is part of my act, and you don't exactly promote a good show."

"No motive, no reason for this betrayal?" The figure spread his arms as he shook his head. "I thought we were accomplices in this town."

"Yeah... but you forget one thing." The guitar was ready as she grinned. "I am rebellion within the teen spirit, you should have expected such a move."

"At least you are honest about the standing." The figure slipped into stance as Ember readied herself for the battle. "Come then, Ember McLain, let's rock this joint."

"I'll blow you away!" Both clashed, Ember holding tight as the figure put the same amount into the punch, the guitar rather steady to the massive power blasts that echoed form the gauntlet before Ember's weapon knocked the fist away and came back, the figure leaping back before dashing under, Ember wheeling about to pout him away like a golf ball, getting the raw end of that business as he flew backwards and slid some before the mask was pulled off and he touched his jaw, a bit of red dripping out. "First blood, McLain is ahead by one!"

"Oh, this is now a game for you?" The figure stood up and put the mask back on, it looked like a rebreather to Danny before he dashed in. "I am amuse with your sense of humor!" The fist flew in as Ember blocked before a flurry of punches flew, knocking her back some, but not dislodging her fully before he wheeling about under the guitar swing and dealt an uppercut, launching her as she rolled in the air and landed with a pant. "Interesting... It seems to be that your new 'Demi' state is giving you much more endurance than before and your power is at a constant measure, no crowd to chant, but you are still as strong."

"Well then..." Ember got back up and breathed as she spoke. "Time to show you what else I can do...!" Suddenly, the sirens of ambulances started to come as the figure glanced before back to the two as Ember limped over to help Danny up.

"We'll pick up when we left off, I see no reason to push it when emergency forces are on the way, they make for terrible bedside manners." The gauntlet glowed again before he slammed it, the impact releasing a bright flash and when their eyes cleared, he was gone as Ember started.

"That's right, run... you... freaking..." She toppled over as Danny caught her as she mumbled. "Aw man... did I really just overdo it? Darn it..." The ring appeared again and she was back to Amber as Danny spoke up.

"Are you okay...?"

"Just... tired, Dip..." Amber breathed as she grimaced. "I don't think... I am getting back home at this rate..." She looked at him as she asked. "Normally... it's the boys who ask, but... can we go to your place... I can't..."

"It's okay... I'll get you there, just rest..." Danny answered as he lifted her and took flight, taking a subtle route as the area was crawling with personnel, looking for any more injured and wounded...


	6. Chapter VI or 6 (P1)

It was kind of 'treason' to be bringing home a ghost that was, in essence, trying to kill him, but Danny Phantom was not that stupid, Amber may have tried to deflect, but her swift change had brought on a fever, she was feeling hotter than normal, and he made a small promise to look after her for the most part as he settled back down and tapped the door with his foot. "Coming!" A voice called out and, before long, Jazz opened the door and smiled before it slipped away and she spoke. "What happened?"

"Our mystery figure struck again, this time he nearly got Tucker and me..." Jazz nodded as Danny brought Amber in and laid her on the couch. "Ember stood up to him, but now she is running a fever, her change must have overloaded her core or something."

"Got it, you just... keep being you and cool her off, I'll make some soup for her to have." Danny nodded as Jazz left and Sam entered, taking a look as she walked over and spoke.

"That Amber?"

"Yep!" He answered with a resounding pop as he used his ice powers to briefly cool her down as Sam crossed her arms.

"Wow..." She answered before she continued. "Hard to think that this is the same rock star that nearly, indirectly, lead to my death from a fall above."

"Yeah..." It was just small talk and both were unnerved with it before Sam spoke again.

"In any case, I checked through the records that I could get a hold on, but nothing is turning up about our mystery face, not even the weapons are suggested or mentioned." Danny nodded as he continued before he grimaced, a hiss from the mouth drawing Sam's attention as she spoke. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine... I think..." Danny answered, but a roll of a shoulder resounded in a loud pop or crack and he grimaced as Sam was taken by it. "Guy punches REALLY hard somehow, even worse somehow."

"Then you should probably..."

"No... I need to keep the fever down until Jazz comes back." Sam sighed as she headed for the kitchen and spoke in a whisper.

"I guess I have come to love your sense of duty... but can we even call it love if one is still as clueless as ever... while the other just feels conflict?" She shook her head as she headed out, Danny breathing before he released, too short to cause a sizable change in temperature, but it was still enough as Jazz returned with the soap... and a glass of water as she set the bowl down on the table and offered the glass.

"Drink." Danny grimaced to the tone as he took the glass and started to drain it as Jazz sat down, Amber breathing more normally... if she was just like Danny now. The older sister rested a hand on her brother's shoulder as she started. "You know... I think this is the first time I have ever seen you look so... beaten, Shulker would give you a workout with the rest of the spooks, even Undergrowth and Vortex was like a pushover once you figured it out."

"Yeah, and that's what I need to do here and now..." Danny stood up, shakily, before dropping down in the chair close by. "...Figure out who exactly we're dealing with and why are they attacking Amity, or rather, me now?" He shook his head as he had no idea who would even be attacking him now, Valerie is out for the count, the GIW were subjected to molten material, some actually surviving, but were traumatized from the experience, and his folks were in the hospital for the same attack on the Red Huntress. He didn't want to know what would happen if any of the ghosts came out to fight with only Danny in sight. "We need to figure this out..."

"Yes, and I have a minor lead." Jazz spoke as she headed upstairs and back down with her laptop and started to bring up some files. "During that last move, the figure moved out of the old sewage line, a corridor of tunnels and passages under Amity itself." Danny looked at the map that spread out before them and, while most of it was unexplored, it was a start. "It's just a theory, but I think that our guy is using the tunnels to slip in and out of Amity at will, he doesn't even need to just randomly appear when he knows when to hit."

"But how would he know where to go?"

"That I have no clue, maybe with some ghost detection or a beacon that could be leading him to you or other places?" Jazz shrugged as she continued. "All I know is that we could be in trouble again, has Tucker called back?" Danny shook his head as he flipped out his phone with reverting back to Fenton.

"He hasn't called back... but he did leave a message that said that he made it back to his house, it just came down to convincing his folks that he was not involved with the craziness downtown." Jazz nodded as Sam returned, each of the three taking turns watching over the unconscious Amber, even noticing that the cold white of her skin started to change to a peach teal color, the 'color returning to her' as one would say before Danny paused and he spoke. "You know... maybe we do have a source..." Both Sam and Jazz looked at him as Sam asked.

"Who...?"

"Clockwork." Danny said as he stood up and continued to the near reject. "It is not changing anything, I just want to know what he knows about our mystery foe and the Fenton Portal is engineered to close and open to our presence besides the usual 'open state' and 'DNA scan' thing, right Jazz?"

"OUR presence being the Fenton siblings, not Phantom's..." The older sister paused before she answered. "Though, that does make sense, if this 'Clockwork' has seen the time and lives of everyone, then he should be aware of this attacker and maybe we can see if we can get him to guide us on a path that could help out, I know for a fact that Amity is not going to stand for very long with some of our more 'experienced' ghost hunters in the sick rooms."

"Then we have to do something about that." Sam spoke as she turned to Amber. "What about her, I don't think should leave her here." Danny gave a look and, though he would rather Amber stay put, he didn't want to face a free Ember McLain, even if the Thermos worked her.

"We'll need to take her with us, that is the only chance we got of keep Ember close and out of Amity Park for now, until we can get her to wise up or back in the Zone." Both nodded to the thought and loaded up into the Fenton Speeder before heading into the Ghost Zone, Amber part of the adventure as no one else was going to enter the house at any point in time...

* * *

Amber stirred and blinked a few times as she looked forward to a green sky... behind a glass pane? She blinked a few more times before she realized that she was in a vehicle, some form of speeder or whatever like from that one smash series of movies 'Stellar Conflict' as she roused herself enough to find that she was not alone as someone spoke. "How are you feeling...?"

"Gross..." She glanced to the side to see Danny and the other had that one goth girl, Sam something, and in the driver seat was that one red-head girl, Danny's sister, she believed. "So why am I in this thing, strapped down for who knows what?"

"We are taking a short trip to find out more about our 'common' foe, the thing is..." Danny spoke up before he leaned forward. "Take this next left, his place should be up ahead after that." Amber hummed in confusion before her eyes flew open to the massive structure that they were coming up, her blood really felt like it froze in her veins."

"C-C-Clockwork!?"

"We just need details, we wouldn't be long here, Amber." Danny answered as he switched to Phantom and flew out as Amber just suffered a minor panic attack and fainted, due to her human change making her more timid, Sam and Jazz sharing a look as the goth spoke.

"You would think that someone devoted to controlling the world, they would be more stable about someone like Clockwork."

"Yeah, I thought so too." Jazz and Sam shared in chatter as Danny flew up and knocked before the door swung open and he floated in, looking around before calling out.

"Clockwork? Are you here?"

"I am always here, Daniel." Clockwork spoke as he slipped by a few of the pillars and spoke. "I only have need to leave if I am called or otherwise."

"Right... sorry." Danny rubbed his skull as he spoke. "I came to..."

"Find out about your new foe, I know as you know as well..."

"You know everything..." Danny nodded as Clockwork always a smile and lead Danny through as he spoke.

"I know the youth and how he inspires terror and fear among the residents that make their home here, but his reasons are more good-natured than anything he could muster against all that face him." Clockwork waved his staff and the doors opened to the many mirrors and images that flickered by. "I would interfere if it was truly a need for harm, grave enough to warrant a cease of life. However, his actions show a different sense of the being, he would rather harm than kill, study than destroy... test than purge."

"What about the GIW?"

"Oh, please..." The figure shifted to his old man form as he continued. "I would have dealt with them in time and if the Observants hadn't been so stubborn, the 'Guys in White' have pushed my patience too far when their plan to destroy the Ghost Zone came to pass, certainly prevented by your efforts with others." The young man continued before switching to the baby form. "Still, arrogance and naivety of their kind has only made me more... disappointed with them, if only someone had explained it out to them that destroying us destroys Earth as well." The being shook his head as he continued. "However, back to our interloper, there is talk that he is constructing a Ghost Portal into the Zone, a third of its kind, and that could be trouble as he seeks you or others of your blood to uncover a secret made hidden from time and fear." Danny gulped as he nodded as Clockwork turned and rested a hand on the halfa's shoulder. "I can not reveal his name as this will give the Observants a name to hunt down, but your service is direly needed here and now."

What!?" Danny exclaimed as he asked. "What's going on!?"

"Your presence here is a heaven-sent for a crown troubled by sibling feud, your conflict drawing the earth's terror with it to halt the hate seeded in blind pride, but be wary as the ancient of life's heir will be seized and taken away, keep kin close and guide the flame's heart..." Whatever that meant, Danny didn't know fully as the staff tapped the ground and Danny's covered his eyes before he was returned to the Speeder... buckled in as Jazz asked.

"Hey, where do we..." She paused before shaking her head. "Wait, did I already ask that question...?"

"Not really." Danny answered before he continued, finding that they were far away from Clockwork's tower, just around the time when Jazz asked where they needed to go. "In any case, we have some trouble to see, do you know Princess Dora?"

"Somewhat..." Jazz shook her head as Sam looked at Danny before she realized that he must have met Clockwork, but he rewind time back to the point of some point. "But shouldn't we...?"

"Clockwork can wait another time, I just got this feeling." Jazz lingered in her gaze at her brother before revving the Speeder and it took off as she spoke.

"Okay, so we don't have the details of our new guy, but why are we going to this Dora?"

"I think we are going to find out, just know that I got the details from a good source, just... don't think too hard on it." Jazz groaned as she replied as the Specter Speeder headed for the Kingdom of Dorathea, renamed to forget the trauma of Aragon, at least that's what Danny believed when he visited her here and there.

"You know that I need to think things through and overthink them, Danny, just going to this Dora without a full reason is not helping me keep me head on tight."

"Trust me, Jazz." Sam answered as she leaned forward and answered. "Danny is not that reckless, Dorathea is a good person... she has viable reason to be." Jazz let it go as they continued through the Zone before they found the section that would have Dora's Kingdom. Danny nearly sprung up as he saw the smoke and fire, Dora was in trouble and he needed to jump in.

"Get ready, we are going to see some action." Sam and Jazz nodded as Danny changed again and zoomed out, Amber stirring as she mumbled.

"What is happening...?" She saw the blazing place and narrowed her eyes, where was she and what was happening here?

* * *

Dorathea panted as she was hard-pressed to keep Aragon's forces back with what little of her forces could help keep the ranks back, now she wished that she had seen it beforehand and stopped it, but her brother had returned with a collection to take the throne, to bring the kingdom to the tyrannical reign and medieval darkness. She gripped her side as one of her knight rushed over. "Princess! We need to retreat!"

"We... We can't..." Dorathea grimaced as she tried to get up in vain. "If we leave now, then my brother will revert everything that I sought to undo of his agenda... we need to stand firm to his machinations..."

"Oh, dear sister..." Both the knight and Dora looked to the end of the hall to Aragon, smirking evilly before his form changed to the black dragon. "You amuse me deeply, but now is the time that I take my kingdom back."

"You... can try, brother Aragon...!" Dorathea replied as she changed and they two clashed as Dorathea's forces tried once more to fend off the horde against them, the dragon battle shifting to the darkened forest, Dora trying hard to fend off her brother, but a tail whip from behind and she crashed into the forest as Aragon gloated.

"I am the superior blood of the throne, you have no right to take my power and I will remind you of your place in this world!"

"Not cool, Darkly, she is doing better than you!" Aragon swiftly turned back as Danny charged in and smashed Aragon aside with a few ectoblasts to pummel him into the distant ground. "What are you doing back here, I am pretty sure that you were exiled or locked up."

"Insolent whelp!" Aragon roared as he took flight again. "This is mine, all mine, and I will dictate what happens in my kingdom, you will kneel before a true ruler!"

"Sorry, but I don't do royal idiots." The dragon roared and made to crush Danny, but he needed to keep him occupied long enough that Dora could escape and recover. "You call that authority, royal breath, you are nothing but a spoiled prince who can't see past his own ego."

"Silence, I will destroy this false world that my foolish kin has made and I will take what is truly mine!" Danny didn't want to admit it, but he was one versus a dragon and he didn't have backup in the first place, what exactly compelled him to just fight a crazed dragon? He paused in the thought, Dora was a friend and a darn good one, she wanted freedom and he gave it, she wanted to be free from the reign of her brother and his oppression, he did it to both free a frozen kingdom and save Sam. But now he was in deep with no armor to block the attacks, no points to strike without getting burned or crushed, and Dora was out of the running with the number of injures and wounds she got.

He pondered too much before a claw snatched him and he struggled to escape as Aragon ranted. "You are nothing compared to my power, I am the supreme being into this land and you will submit!" Danny could see the Jazz and Sam were doing their best to fend off the legions, but the castle was getting overwhelmed again and they needed some help. "Submit or die!"

"I got a different opinion, back off!" A strum rang out and Danny was saved with Aragon getting blasted away, his gaze turning to the floating rock star as she zoomed to his side. "Hey, Dip, what's this guy's problem?"

"Um... long or short...?" She gave a disproving look as she spoke.

"Short, please..."

"Basically, arrogant prick who is against females, seeing them as tools or objects, and former ruler of this place which was frozen in medieval times because of him."

"Oh..." The answer was followed with a sigh as she glanced back to the rising creature. "You know, I just wonder EXACTLY how you deal with these things."

"That is a question of WHAT you are talking about, my event of getting into big fights or my choice to step into trouble to resolve it."

"Your hero complex, mainly." Ember chuckled as she readied for battle with Danny smiling as well. "Let's just put the former king out of his disillusions."

"A wench stands against me!? You will know your place at my feet!" Aragon charged as both divided and attacked with blasts and powers as Ember countered.

"You're not in charge of my life, I make my own destiny!"

"So It's time to put you out to the caves!" Danny and Ember actually worked well in their improv tag-team, forcing Aragon back big time while Dora took to the sky and back to the kingdom before they overstepped their position. Aragon seemed to have extra forces in reserve and they stepped in too far as Aragon laughed, both going back to back as Ember spoke.

"So, what's the plan now, Dip?"

"I don't know..." Danny looked about the forces that now had them cornered with Aragon smirking. "I was expecting Aragon to have conscript all his forces to the castle, but to have backup just makes this harder than it should have been." Danny rounded about with Ember before the onslaught started. "What are the chances for us here?"

"That depends!" Ember shouted as she took down a axe-wielder before smashing a lancer and using him as a board over the crowd as the gap between the two of them started to increase, likely to divide them enough to make them easy pickings for Aragon's return to combat. "Are you asking me to be your girlfriend or as your partner here!?"

"As friends!" Danny shouted back as he shielded with some ice bracers against some blades and sweeping under before he clashed once more and shattered weapons like a pro. "Maybe it will be short-term or long, but I can't do anything to you as you are human again, not just a ghost, besides I would prefer to have backup in other people, not just my friends or my sister."

"Good, actually..." Ember answered as she slipped under and axe and decked the guy, impressing herself with her newfound power and strength against the numberless minions. "I would have gone solo, but whatever the Doc gave me, has changed me too, I feel more timid like the world is not mine anymore and I have no reason to do anything in it." Ember growled as she swung again, getting clipped, but giving the attacker a nasty hit in the head, despite the armor or helmet. "We'll talk later, if we get out of this alive!"

"I fail to understand that question at times." Ember rolled her eyes before both slammed into the other, clearly biting off more than they could chew as Aragon gloated once more.

"How your fool hopes have fallen, you two will serve me well in the dungeons and in my service, all will be as it shall, this land is mine and will forever be mine!" He cackled with glee before a loud boom echoed, the back end of the army being torn apart and Aragon stopped to glare back at the level of destruction before a familiar voice to Phantom and McLain spoke.

"Wow, and here I thought that humans were the only prideful creatures I could ever know." Decked out in energized armor, like a power suit, stepping through the trees that was alight with fire from both the dragon's duel and the pair's attempt of fighting the attacker off, was the one they called the Doctor as his fists glowed with energy and his rebreather puffed out a vapor, countering the effects of the Ghost Zone somehow. "But an actual dragon ghost...? I will take my time with your sorry husk of skin..."

* * *

This is just to say in advance, if any want to speak about it.

I was going to do a single chapter covering the siege or attack for Aragon, but it grew a bit lengthy for a single chapter, so it will be finished in the next chapter, also Sam will be abducted by Undergrowth, I just need to figure out if I am going to embed ghost genes into Sam as a permanent effect of bonding with Undergrowth's powers or something else.

Also, looking at the hazmat suits of Danny Phantom, they are sad, but they are for humans tampering with ghosts in their world, the Ectosuit is a good way for humans to enter the Zone freely, but it could use a bit more work and understanding, thus the power armor, think Iron Man (Sad about that, never saw, but feel the pain) or Warmachine. That is all to say for now.


	7. Chapter VI or 6 (P2)

Both Danny and Ember couldn't believe their eyes that the Doc had followed them somehow, but were more concerned with the fact that he was fully armored with a blue glow behind the glass covering, he was not playing around, he was primed for combat as he spoke. "Now then, you slip back to your little hidey hole and I wouldn't tear your forces apart this day and you leave this place for good, else I will make a statement." The bargain fell flat as Aragon growled.

"You are insignificant and I will not bend my knee nor my head to your pathetic form!"

"Well, I tried..." The Doc spoke as the energy formed again. "...And I will deliver your problems on silver..." He threw punches and tore through the forces, blasts that ripped through so many like they were paper to the blasts with each blast or hurl destroying Aragon's pride before he roared.

"I will consume your miserable hide!" The Doc turned just as Aragon's jaws closed around him, both halfas gasping as it seemed sure that he was dead before the mouth slowly opened and the guy spoke with remark, planted in the front and pushing the mouth open.

"I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but your breath and teeth need an overhaul, they are terrible in here." Aragon growled as fire surged forth, but the Doc turned with some challenge and aimed a fist down the throat where the fire was coming from. "I don't think so, dragon fool." The energy gathered before he fired several times, forcing the fire down and Aragon's chest starting to glow before Danny called out.

"Ember, force the fire through his chest, aim for the amulet!"

"Sounds crazy... but I can roll with it!" Both got to their feet and Ember focused on her pryokinesis while Danny fought to keep her protected long enough before the fire blazed through and Aragon gasped as the Doc leapt out with a smooth jump, all three watching as the black monster collapsed to a trembling ghostly figure who grasped at his chest, the damage being his destroyed Amulet as the forces shattered in a panicked frenzy of escape and Ember spoke, with a unstable movement to sling her guitar onto her back. "We did it... but at what cost...?" Danny knew the meaning as the Doc turned and seemed to raise a brow as he spoke through the re-breather.

"If you are assuming that I would be attacking you here, I am not that foolish, a decent five hours, maybe six could be survived in this place for humans due to a high ecto level, evident to shifting worlds, and I am not going to wreck either of you in any way to force you to change, now I believe that someone said that this was only the backup force?" Danny's eyes widen as he yelped.

"Sam! Jazz! Dora!" With refueled focus, Phantom took off and sped toward the castle as Ember joined him in following, the Doc taking a moment to glance to the still-gasping Prince Aragon with a comment.

"I am PRETTY sure you'll live, it was only your chest, you'll recovering from that, if not, then you are not much of a prince or a ghost." He turned back and dashed with inhuman speeds as Aragon collapsed, defeated...

* * *

Sam and Jazz were quite able to hold off the forces of Aragon with the remaining knights of Dora's as they exchanged words. "So, who was Danny talking about?"

"You're going to have to be more exact." Same shouted as she decked another out of her way and quickly used him to block several arrows. "I don't have any conversation on the tip of my tongue that would point someone out."

"You two were talking about Amber..." Jazz paused when she whiplashed a guy and somehow fling him, despite their home turf of the Ghost Zone, they flew all the same and she unconsciously adjusted with her mom's training. "He was talking about a change in her name, the A for the E, and you replied with 'Just like her', you wouldn't have said that if..." Jazz growled before she jumped from a sword swing and slammed her battle staff, knocking the ghost's head off to a resounding 'whoa' from several others before swiftly slamming another into the wall by her. "...If you didn't know someone that matched up, now spill!"

"Um..." Sam stammered as she pinned a axe-bearer and searched for something else to say, it was a slip of the tongue really and she didn't think that Jazz would actually want to hear it. "Oh, I was thinking of a guy, er, girl named Philia, and, uh..."

"Don't try to bluff your way out of this, Sam!" Jazz must have been at her wits end with the question, both personal and getting a false answer, as the next few ghosts that TRIED to gang up on her were swiftly bashed to pieces, more so than expected, clearly she was running on aggravated thoughts. "You know something, Danny knows something, and I don't like being left in the dark, when I was, I was the subject of assassination of a misery-drawn ghost, my own brother was seeing some childish spirit that he needed to torture me to see, and also faced ghosts on ghosts and backstabbing 'uncles' for their secrets, now tell me who exactly are you and Danny talking about!"

"Lady Jasmine..." Dora commented as she bashed more of the ranks with the pair, joining them after a good moment of rest. "I am sure that Lady Samantha will explain it all to either of us, but we must not pressure her." Jazz let it slid before the whole ground started to shake and the troops started to fall apart as Dorathea looked over her home in confusion. "What is this sorcery, my brother only has the power of the dragon through his amulet, well, reforged amulet. What force causes...?"

"Uh, I don't like that..." Jazz pointed and Sam followed the finger and her heart dropped as, in the distance, a array of plants surged and devoured the land like they are claiming the world.

"By the Ancients..." Dora spoke with shock as the ground cracked under them before a green hand surged up, grabbing Sam, catching both of the remaining members by surprise as they were fling as the green collected more and more to form a powerful. "What is the meaning of this, Undergrowth!?"

"The power of nature demands my avatar be restored and my domination over the foolish humans restarted." Sam struggled before the green hand encapsulated her into a cocoon. "I am running out of time, the process will need to be done with time."

"NO!" Danny soared in, but Undergrowth burrowed back under and disappeared, Danny landing and digging at the dirt before he yelled. "NO!" Both fists raised, he slammed and the ground fragmented as he breathed, Ember coming down as well as the three girls looked at him just slam his head into the soil. "He took her... He took her without me even getting a second to save her."

"Danny... it's not your fault." Jazz spoke as she walked over and rested a hand on his shoulder, the power-suited Doc arriving as well. "You couldn't have known..."

Sir Phantom, I do not blame your rage." Dora started as she stepped forward as well as Danny sat up. "I scarce believe that Pariah Dark's Master of the Earthen Soil would invade my home, but he spoke of time, the realm must have tampered with his power, that's why he took her, to change her where that he would have his full strength to muster."

"I hate to be the one to ask, as I am new somewhat." Doc spoke as they turned to him. "But this spirit that took your 'girlfriend', what was he...?" Dora answered that.

"Undergrowth is the name of the ghost and he was created to be an equal to the Ancients, our most powerful and recognized spirits." Doc nodded as Princess Dorathea continued; Jazz, Danny, and Ember listening to this new piece of detail. "He was created with his kin of Vortex to dominate worlds for their dark master, the tyrant Pariah Dark. In recent years, they have tried and failed to control the world beyond the Ghost Realm, but as I and many can attest, Sir Phantom had thwarted them both and restored order to the worlds." Doc looked over to the enraged hero and back.

"I suppose I will lay off on the hero of both worlds... for a while." Doc hummed as he spoke. "But we cannot risk further exposure, we must return to the mortal realm, your realm is releasing a large amount of vapors and fumes, like it is shifting and letting out super heated energy." Dora bit her thumb as she grimaced.

"I was afraid of that..." She turned to the three and spoke. "I will search for the Lady Samantha with a few others that would be willing to aid, you must head home, the vapors that your armored 'companion' speaks of is highly toxic to humans, it will convert them to a full ghost." After a moment, they nodded and boarded the Specter Speeder with Doc flying with them as Dorathea hummed. "May our fortune be great and strong, I only pray that we will find the Lady Samantha before Undergrowth strikes the living world..."

* * *

They emerged form the portal and landed as Amber breathed, unbuckling. "This was not the best ride I had, I rate it a five out of ten."

"I know, our parents are for ghosts, they would fail at building any comfort in these vessels unless they think otherwise." Jazz answered as they got out and the door shut as the power suit landed and straightened, not being taken apart like normal suits, but collapsed in of itself into the gauntlets and a large pack on the back as the blue came form the lens under a hood STILL somehow.

"It lasted five, I can make adjustments from this data." The hand instead closed the data prompt, let the data be saved and suspended as he looked to the trio, two being Demis and one being a smart girl who might dig into his mind. "So... here we are at a crossroad, the question is... what are any of us going to do?"

"I'll tell you what we are going to do, I...!"

"Danny..." He shut down as he was also in trouble, he was not in ghost form, he was human again with Amber. Jazz walked past them both and spoke to Doc. "Whether we like it or not, you are part of this mess as well and, whether I like it or not... again, we could use some help until we find out where Sam has gone or where Undergrowth is keeping her in the Ghost Zone."

"Sheesh, but what was with the power armor?" Amber spoke as she crossed her arms. "I didn't think anyone needed a tin suit in the GZ."

"Only in the more hostile environments, I created it to resist effects like high radioactive areas, high situation events, and technically space itself." Doc answered as he crossed his arms. "And I am not going to work for free, if you want me to do it, then I want one thing..." All braced before he pointed to Danny. "Your brother's body." All came to a stop before Jazz turned and spoke.

"Hey, Danny..." He looked and grimaced the shock on her face. "You never told us that you were homosexual." Amber snorted before she just lost it, laughing up a storm and falling to the ground as Danny stammered before he shouted.

"WHERE THE GHOST ZONE DID YOU GET THAT IDEA! I'M STRAIGHT!"

"Really?" Jazz hummed before she spoke on. "Well, it could be contributed to being a young adult with no full belief in his abilities to swoon the fairer gender or seems to share 'brotime' with Tucker most of the time that I naturally..."

"OH MY GOSH, JAZZ, STOP MAKING THIS WORSE!" Danny whipped about to Doc and spoke. "And my body is off-limits, got it!?"

"I am not turning away, if you do not yield, then I have no reason to stick around here." Doc made for the stairs as Amber was still losing it, she NEEDED that as Danny growled before he shouted.

"FINE!" He huffed as he turned to the paused Doc. "I will LET you at my body, but if you get too touchy with some crazy tools or things, then..."

"I'll be out of your hair." Doc turned back as he spoke. "You want the help, you will get it, just know that we are not allies, more like members with unique ideas of how to approach problems."

"Like the GIW?" Danny's tone got an edge and Amber recovered enough that she nearly primed her guitar as Jazz reached for her staff as Doc spoke.

"I have had it up to here..." Doc motioned a hand level with his ear or where the ear is. "...with their dumb ways and crazed missions, I discredited them, they regain that standing, I closed them out of sites, they barge in and treat the whole site as a 'purge' site." Doc motioned with a huff through the rebreather. "Besides, that lava vein was only two feet from their base, I just cracked the ground, opening the piping to opened points and let the whole thing flood under the cover of an earthquake, I did not take a life in vain, I had reason and purpose, screw them and their 'government' funds, they have just been on the payroll of a crazed fruitloop behind doors." All three seemed to pause as it was known that Vlad bankrolled the GIW a number of times, but not once did it seem like anyone but the trio of friends knew or had an inkling of it.

"So..." Amber started as she slung her guitar. "Does that mean you DON'T want to kill Danny?"

"What exactly gave you guys that idea...?" Doc raised a hidden brow as the trio choked or turned away as Doc continued. "Also, Ms. Fenton, I am going to need access to the lab, we have a lot of work ahead of us..."

* * *

Danny was not fully onboard with the Doc, but he did seem to be more attuned with fighting or managing ghosts and the like on the daily, guessing those two years of study paid off greatly. It was a shock how he overhauled a number of things, leaving the 'Fenton' gear alone while creating and constructing sizable additions to the roster, tampering with a number of settings and options to not highlight Danny in his own house, but Amber was not fully cleared either, resulting in the device being shut down for a time while he worked.

Jazz, on the same ship about the Doc, helped out as well, but was actually rather helpful with her input on how things should go and how to go through the processes, but never could get the Doc to talk about himself, somehow finding a equal way of diverting attention or ideas.

Amber was along for the ride as well as she practiced with Danny and the Doc in a series of obstacles and dummies designed for them as the Doc monitored and pointed out any weaknesses or strengths that both have to adjust to. However, whenever the fact of 'his research' causing an upset in the GZ came to their minds, he would just pause before saying 'Makes sense, no one really tried.' Ultimately, they 'forced' the Doc to stop as they took to the upstairs, sitting around the table to discuss a few things. "So what the heck was with the weird request?"

"Simple, you are the abnormality, the wrench in the gears for both worlds." Doc started as he explained. "Since your conception as Phantom, you have done great things, whether it is good or bad, proving that ghosts indeed exist and that there is more to them than just something inhuman like how animals can be treated." He leaned forward and continued his speech, gauntlets interlocking in a thinking position. "The reason I ask for your body is because your whole biology has became a inter-mixed blend of human and ghost and that perks my interest." Amber was next as she asked.

"Okay, but what about me? How did you turn me... into me?"

"You are talking about the Demi Serum." The trio looked at each other as Doc continued. "Using neutral-based blood cells in a cocktail in junction with ghost essence, I made the Demi serum to enable selected individuals to be like Phantom, a foot in both worlds as they can walk through human society while also having the ability to traverse the Ghost Zone freely through any portal..." He paused before he continued. "However, the cocktail would always fail in theory for the body of a ghost or even a human would not have a ample amount of voltaic power coursing through, for people to believe that to be a halfa or demi, you must first die before coming back to even be, they are narrow-minded, it only takes a split second for the effect to even happen and, even then, one is not likely to survive the full change, remaining as a ghost or converting into a human." Doc continued as he hummed, Jazz making notes so she understands exactly what was the method and purpose behind the mad experiments. "Now, as for the serum itself, a dual dose of the serum with five hundred jolts would convert anyone with minor pain, the only reason I used one on you, Amber, was because your exposure to the Human World had left a sizable reserve to draw from and I believed that it would not affect you too severely, my own fault as the reserve was drained faster than expected and you fainted as a result of it."

Amber huffed under her breath in surprise. 'So that's what happened...' Jazz took over as she asked, pencil to her lip as she gave the question of hers. "So what do you get out of this, this can't be a simple 'work as a good guy', you clearly have an agenda and, needless to say, have proven that you can wrench away anything that you would set your eye on."

"Why, Ms. Fenton, I was unaware that you were going to be my therapist today..." Doc jokingly spoke as Jazz puffed her cheeks as Amber and Danny lightly chuckled as Doc spoke. "I suppose I can give you all a reason..." He grew serious again. "To train..." Danny felt his spine creep as Doc continued. "It would be simple to forget the need to prove your worth or ready yourself when the world starts to change, when Amity was invaded by the side of spirits, it was unprotected with the only source of solace being the same halfa that was exposed to the opening of whatever portal caused both the shift in life and the emergence of ghosts, the rest of the town only had inexperienced hunters and rage-filled stalkers." He continued with narrowed brow to Danny, still hard to tell as the rebreather and hood hid the guy's face. "Now, I am not your ally, far from it, but I am not a fool, I play the role of a indifferent scientist, but mentor. I do this to teach and guide on the loose line, to keep one on the path set, but I cannot decide of what you must do, but I can give ample aid if one asks me."

He stood up and headed down as he spoke once more. "Now, if you do not mind, I have several training ideas that will help in the long run, we also need to keep an ear out toward the portal, your friend is lost in there and we will need to get her out, there is no telling what could come to pass..." He disappeared down the dark stairwell as Danny breathed with a few words.

"I don't trust him..."

"That must is true, Dip, but let's be honest..." Amber spoke as she rested a bit on the table. "Would you prefer him to be gutting you right now?" Danny didn't answer that, the only reason his identity was still intact was the fact that Ember saved him from passing out, she could have just walked away, but she stayed long enough to stop the guy from revealing him as Jazz rested a hand on his arm.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him this shift, there could be more ghosts lurking about, the portal will keep getting opened with or without us." He nodded as Ember stood up and spoke again.

"But first, let's find Desiree, he can tell us where to find his lab or whatever junk he has as a place to crash." Danny nodded as Ember transformed and both bolted for the old sewer line, using the Fenton Phone to keep in connection with Jazz, in case anything goes wrong...


	8. Chapter VII or 7

Jazz didn't pride herself on knowing everything, just a majority of things as she watched the Doc seem to pace, using a set-up of monitors and drives that he assembled with their help and knowledge, to the readings of both Amber and Danny, a pen twirling between his metal fingers before being grabbed and the process restarted, each time was like a snap, like Jazz was waiting for him to crack, he was stressed at best and angry at worse, but she couldn't tell what mood he was in, so she interjected. "If you keep pacing like that, you are going to leave a trail in the flooring..." The pen was grabbed once more and pressure started to apply before it released and he set the pen down before he spoke.

"I am just... antsy, Ms. Fenton." He breathed as he calmed some and looked over the data again before saving them and bringing up the digital map of the Ghost Zone or rather the range of the Ghost Zone that Danny himself had explored, projecting it in the center of the room where a re-purposed table was set up for easy pinpoint details and plans though a number of lens. "Thinking about the Demis, I have grown... interested in testing them and their abilities for my own purpose; foolish, but it has become a part of my vision." He shook his head as he turned and addressed the table. "But my ideas WILL wait, we have to search for something out of place." Jazz hummed as she joined on the other side, no call from Danny yet which was both worrying and comforting.

"What exactly would we be searching for, Undergrowth could be anywhere in the Ghost Zone and he is not easy to track or face."

"Still, he gave a weakness in his plan." Doc looked up to the stationary portal that was the Fenton's. "He needs time, time to convert Phantom's companion to his side, a simple conversation was not on his mind, he wanted a full-on takeover, that could echo with both human and ghost power and, if he is indeed a powerful spirit, then that will build up and direct us to him." Jazz hummed again as she looked at the same, from the Far Frozen, to the Kingdom of Dorathea, even to Clockwork's Tower, yet not one location that could tell them where to start looking and they needed to wait on Dora to tell them for a direct reference, not a wild chase. "You know, I already know Phantom's identity." The notepad that Jazz was holding dropped as she was agape.

"W-W-What did you...!?"

"I know who he is, it was not a hard answer to find." Doc ran a hand as he walked the edge of the table and spoke. "A ghost living under the same roof as hunters, was willing to let them chase him, but unwilling to let them get hurt anymore than what happened." He paused before walked to the other side with a sliding hand. "He knew the girl's name, Sam, and it was just a matter of cross-referencing it with others and only one Sam came up... grand place, but horrible traditions."

"If you knew, then..."

"Please, do you think I want him destroyed, killed for who he is?" He halted and the hand gripped the edge, like to bend it as Jazz glanced down to it in worry and back up. "I am not the GIW, nor am I the bane of his existence... his presence is the reason why I took up these works and methods..." He released and turned back to the tri-monitors of the mapping and the two for the data compile, tapping away with focus before Jazz asked.

"His presence is your reason, what do you mean by that?" Jazz didn't want another Valerie on Danny or a Vlad, they had enough trouble with one from each other, a crazed, halfa fruitloop and the vengeful huntress, wishing to end a ghost for his lack of control back then. The tapping halted before he lowered a hand before continuing as Jazz spoke. "I'm sorry, but it just is..."

"A vision..." She stopped as he spoke. "Two years prior, I had a dream, fitful and terrible in the home I had while my fortune rested in vaults of my own making." Doc continued to explain to her. "It was of a land, wasted away and the last of the human race were sheltered under a shield, against what...? Something that lost all hope of life and only sought death." He paused with one hand and brought it to his skull under the hood. "I could hear the ticking of a clock somewhere, but my dream was not hopeful, no, it was a nightmare as a figure of white and black, a cape flowing in the hostile winds with blazing teal fire for hair roared a foot or two up, a nightmare is what many will call it, but I believed what I know, that it was an event of the future."

"I... see..." Jazz paused as well as she recalled what Danny told her, that it was a time when he had made a simple mistake and it cost him too much; his family, his friends, gone. He became the monster and destroyed his human self before rampaging across the world, giving an actual meaning to fearing the unknown for that was what he had become, something unknown from the darkness.

"Deep down, I haven't figured it out, why did I dream such an event, was it real or just a message of what could have happened...?" Doc shook his head as he continued. "Regardless, we have work to do." Jazz didn't answer as she watched as Doc saved the data, running a recording for the following files to come that must have been in his ownership, and headed to the side as he had a series of metal and machine parts to the side, somehow starting to assemble a new suit or armor as he took a look at the Fenton Peeler and went 'Rubbish in a nut shell, what oaf made this terrible piece of machinery?' And somewhere in the Hospital, Jack Fenton sneezed himself awake before dozing to a half-slumber...

* * *

Danny was ready, whatever Doc had in readiness of him was not going to stop him and with Amber as both backup and support, they were going to see if they could deal with what defenses could be active.

Honestly though, the last thing he was really expecting was Ember McLain being willing to help him out and he could tell that she was thinking the same thing as they zoomed through before pausing at another junction, lost for the most part before Ember spoke. "You know... this could be a good time to test out the echo of this place." Danny nearly rejected it, but Ember just strummed out the musical tone of 'Remember', he nearly scowling at the lack of control before he stopped and closed his eyes, letting his ears listen and getting a feedback, she was using the music as both a point of reference and as a way to guide them, echo-location he believed it was called before she spoke again. "This way..." He opened his eyes and pursued her down the corridor of unused pipes as she was guided through before they stopped and floated down to a dim light that glowed in the dark, surprising as Doc didn't have a natural method to just glow or shine as they pushed on and took in the environment around them.

Small, but it was compacted with machines and devices that both could see how he had managed to find them or appear at the different locations, but much of the machines were sending their data elsewhere and terminating themselves from the network, meaning less data to collect from there and just hunks of metal and material, Danny grimaced that all of it was going to Doc, but he would rant about it later, face-to-face with the mystery figure, they were there for someone who was in a period of rest as they pushed on before Danny asked. "So... how deep of trouble are we in with Doc?"

"Is that a joke about our current arrangement as I would rate it as a 'we are screwed', but I somewhat like working with him some, I get to walk around and see the sights, so I rate it with a 'Danger Zone'." Ember replied as Danny hummed and countered with his own.

"Highway to the Danger Zone." Ember raised a brow as Danny shook his head and they found themselves in the labs, a majority missing somehow as it looked like physical things and Doc didn't appear to be carrying the stockpile, many displays losing their data and shutting down before they found their goal.

Laying on one of the beds in the dull white chamber that Ember connected to her own was a well-endowed woman in a hospital gown, sun-kissed skin blessing her from her face, her arms and legs as her once-blackened hair was changed with twin dyes down her face of topaz yellow, slumbering in the quiet as they entered through a disabled door and stood to her sides as Danny spoke again. "Has Desiree... ever talked about her past?"

"No..." Ember answered as she sat down, resting the guitar to her side as she looked at the sleeping woman that was now a halfa or Demi. There was a quiet silence to Ember as she looked at the place where she once rested and felt the changes in her veins. "All that was known about her was that she was bound to the wishes of others, her past was never talked about, not even in private."

"Well, my friends and me found some details about her, she was bound through her wishes as she was a notable harem dancer for a sultan." Ember rolled her eyes as she mused.

"I think I know where this is going..."

"He wished to give her everything, even a palace of her own, but his wife, jealous of her, had her banished and she died through a broken heart and old age."

"Okay, not the way I was thinking now..."

"Now bound to being a ghost, she was forced to grant wishes for whoever managed to obtain her bottle, a genie bottle to be exact, and they granted everything, but they fell for mortal lives and never for her, her happiness forever shunned." Ember breathed as she leaned forward and spoke again.

"I never knew..." She sat back up as she continued. "She was banished and died, coming as a ghost to grant wishes at her own happiness... I don't think I could have handled that type of fate."

"I am just worried of what Doc had done to her, if she sees herself, she will think it..." Danny didn't continued for a lack of a better word, but Ember nodded, they needed to ease her into the new life, Danny had the experience for the most part and Ember learned on the fly.

No sooner did they make that last sentence, Desiree started to stir, blinking a few times before she slowly sat up and rubbed her skull as her bangs dropped over her face. "What ill fate has that mortal man just..."

"You don't want to really know." Ember breathed as Desiree looked to the rock star before looking to her other side to Danny as she spoke.

"This must be an illusion as you both can not be here without fighting, nor should I if..."

"Let's take a moment at a..." Desiree pulled away from Danny to yell her usual line when Ember grabbed her, keeping her form falling off the bed as she spoke.

"If he can't touch you, then let me..." Desiree, thought a bit put-off, yielded to Ember as she slowly got to former Genie to stand as she started to explain. "This is not a dream, nor are we going to fight, we actually came here to find you, the guy that brought you here... may have done something to you, it is better that he explains it out for you." The Genie paused as she stood up, towering over them both while they were on the ground.

"Why do you work with Phantom, is he not our most bitter foe, and why are you so meek to both his presence and what has come to be of myself?" Ember hummed as she just replied.

"A side effect of the same process. Let's just get out of here, this base is shutting down." Regardless of any reason to argue, Desiree went along with it as they headed out, Ember humming with displeasure, so Danny helped her out, Desiree not yelling as she dozed off, her lip shortly dripping blood before it stopped and they continued, worried as blood from the lips could be a sign of something worse and they needed to pick up the pace if they were going to get another friend on their side and to gain her full trust in them and their intents. Danny raised a hand to his ear as he spoke.

"Jazz, we got her, heading back now, just get the Doc to check her, blood was dripping from her lips..."

* * *

Jazz bit her lip as she looked over what they know, but there was nothing on the grid, Undergrowth was really taking his time forcing Sam to be his avatar again. The Fenton Phone rang and she answered to Danny's voice as Doc compared results with the same displeasure that Undergrowth was forcing on them. '_Jazz, we got her, heading back now, just get the Doc to check her, blood was dripping from her lips..._' She scowled and turned to yell, but he cut her off.

"Tell me without your brother on the line, I will explain it to you first before them." She growled before cutting the line for now as she spoke with venom.

"What was the meaning behind her bleeding from the mouth!?"

"Actually, that question is a new one." Doc hummed as he sorted through the notes he digitally downloaded and quickly found Desiree's before continuing. "Her body should be stable enough that it shouldn't be harmed in any way and the only cause of blood would be through the arm where a sleeper agent would be given, making them simple to move to a new location without my vision on their plans. I will need to investigate this a bit closer, but there shouldn't be a reason for worry for her, she is very likely to be a perfectly healthy Demi, Ms. Fenton." He put the data down and looked to the portal, the reason why he didn't take his own back was actually because he had made it a portable device, only having one charge and he used it to fight the black dragon and his army. "Still, you have my word that I will check her and the others over, just in case. I am more concerned with the lack of activity from our plant-life."

Jazz wanted to rip into Doc, but she withheld herself as she didn't want to have those gauntlets turned on her or Danny. "Yeah, it's... weird, I was expecting Undergrowth to be more swift about it, but nothing is turning up, I could do with some more action from Cra- um... the Box Ghost or even Gh-Shulker, but nothing is turning up." Doc raised a brow, but took it back as he looked the map over with questions.

"So... do you know anyone else with experience in taming the Ghost Zone, combat skills or tech could be a great asset to us here."

"Well..." Jazz held her tongue as she may dislike Valerie for attacking Danny on the daily, but she was still injured and she didn't want to endanger her life with Doc's power. "There is one, but I don't think we should endanger anyone else for this task, this is already a four-person job."

"Many heads are better than three or two, Ms. Fenton." Doc straightened as he continued. "Besides, your folks will not be back any time soon, they should still have a duration of three weeks against them to rest and the Huntress is bound for two, at best, and five, at worst."

"Let's hope it's five..." Jazz sighed as she wanted to argue on the standing, but the logic was sound, not many loophole to exploit with this one. "Can you promise NOT to hurt anyone in Amity anymore if we continue to do this?"

"Well, you will need to tell me if it is indeed 'human nature' to just forgive and forget." Doc smirked under the mask as he worked on improving the available gear and replacing the rather weak-sourced ones, still keeping them for base and sanity sake.

Jazz would have preferred to be in the Operation Center right now, but she couldn't be a beggar as she connected the Fenton Phone to another. "Tucker, we need some help... Yeah, I'll explain it out... No, we can't as we have... a tough guest in our house right now and Danny is coming back with someone... I would prefer you take this seriously and not be dating your PDA, you are just as bad as Danny when it comes to his life... Just get over here or I will find out where you keep 'Testa' and reprogram her... I am the daughter of geniuses, don't tempt me, Foley."

"And I thought that we were decent..." Doc mused as he shook his head. "What low we have gone to be dating our own devices of the web, we are truly a lost race in the starts..."


	9. Chapter VIII or 8

Both parties met in the lab with Tucker Foley cowering by Danny's side as the Halfa glared at the masked scientist, Ember watching over Desiree within listening distance with Jazz checking her over as well, this new specter research a helpful subject to work with as Danny spoke. "So what was with the bleeding from the mouth?"

"You assume that I have done something to cause that incident, but I shall inform you just the same that it was a new development." Doc answered as he crossed his arms. "Neither Ms. McLain nor Ms. Bulum should have any trace of injury or sickness upon them, they are perfectly healthy as it is, so this notion that I would harm one of the subjects to reflect internal damage is completely un-found."

"That's not good enough..."

"And you can say otherwise?" Doc answered as the tension was thick as both girls rolled their eyes to the improv fight. "Like it or not, Phantom, I am here to aid and test your abilities, not destroy any of you. I am not a murderer or a slave master, I am just human." The stare down continued before Danny stepped back and spoke.

"How do you even do that?" Doc smiled as he answered.

"I refined my gaze to a degree to intimidate others, whether it is through the lens or my own eyes." Doc stepped past and joined the girls as he ran his scans over Desiree, brow furrowing as he stepped back over to the table in the lab, sorting through the data before he turned and spoke, extending the datapad that now held the data. "African tech, take a look and tell us what you see." Tucker jumped before he cowered some more before he breathed and walked over, shakily taking the pad and looking it over, the fear fading some as he read it out.

"This... this doesn't make any sense! There is like some sort of mental barrier being made over her mind that is preventing the ghost half and human side from fully merging, what...what exactly is going on...?"

"That's the question of the day..." Doc slipped to the other side and hummed before resting his hands on the table, time spent exploring the more common place locations and found the Emergency Ops Center entrance, disregarding it for the lab for a closer connection with the Ghost Zone, more room to work with, and there was a putrid smell of something, like moldy ham or something up there. "I'm none too familiar with the psychological side of the mind, but I would like to hear what any of you have on this sudden development, this can't be just a coincidence." Jazz took the pad off Tucker's hands and frowned as she looked through and spoke as she joined the table.

"I think that her mind is repressing the memories of being human and trying to force her body to become a ghost again, but now that she is a full-blood human again with the added benefit of being a Demi, I believe that her refusal to accept that she had come back to life and that she no longer needed to be... conflicted is resulting in a clashing of emotional and physical properties, her body is trying to accept that she is human again, but her mind is fighting back and both are causing damages across her body. If we don't get it under control, then..."

"Whoa, time out!" Danny made a signal to show the same as he nearly yelled. "Who the what and the what going on!?"

"Basically." Doc answered as he gestured to Jazz. "Ms. Fenton believes that the djinn's body and mind are clashing, breaking several blood vessels across her body as she forces her body to adjust to the new state, but her mind, bound to memories of her former life, is feuding back and putting her in a state of self-inflicted harm." All looked at him in confusion as he continued. "It's rather complicated, but just know that she is suffering a state where her body is fighting an devastating battle and is losing if she is not assured otherwise, for that, I suspect that Ms. Fenton can help with that, and until then, I will postpone my more dangerous or notable activities and instead focus on finding our missing person."

"Wait, missing person...?" Tucker spoke up as he counted on his fingers before he turned to Danny. "Hey, wait, where is Sam?" The trio of members looked at each other before Danny breathed and answered as Amber folded her arms with a frown.

"Sam was kidnapped by Undergrowth and he took her somewhere in the Ghost Zone, not giving much to find out or where to look..." Tucker nodded as Danny turned to the figure. "Doc here agreed to help, but in exchange, he wanted to test Amber and me, our abilities as halfas or, as he rather calls us, Demis."

"Even now, she's in the Ghost Zone." Amber answered as she added to it. "Our problem is that we don't know where he would take her, the Ghost Zone is vast and it is going to be impossible to find one rage-induced shrubbery in a whole lot of green."

"Should we find him..." Doc asked as he rested his hands on the table and display again, taking in the narrowly explored realm of the GZ. "What weakness could we use against him and what powers could he use against us...?" They were at a loss as the four looked at each other, two of them were liabilities and could be used as fodder or something, one bested Undergrowth, but only after he learned to control the ice and Amity was plunged into a tropical tyranny and there was no experience of the other to have faced the spirit and won.

Finally, Danny spoke. "We... don't know, I only beat Undergrowth when I learned to control my powers of ice and when he had overrun Amity with plants, using Sam as a host vassal."

"And my fire power is not enough, even if you could chant my name." Amber spoke as she flicked a wrist and a puff of flame plumed before fading. "Undergrowth WAS a myth to us, said to have been made by the tyrant king himself, but sealed away somewhere that no one knew about, it was only after Dipstick..." Danny yelped a 'hey' as Amber continued. "...captured him and threw him in there after a 'minor mishap' that we got a bit worried, we ghosts... and halfas are not full on powers to things made to BE the embodiment of powers."

"That... stacks our odds against us..."

"But it will have to do for now, African tech." Tucker yelped a 'hey' himself at the second use of the nickname. "We need to develop more powerful or usable methods if we are to tackle the embodiment of the land's nature itself." Doc hummed before he looked to the group. "At this, we will need a site to do so and to fight back if it comes down to it..." Doc scrolled through the map before he paused. "What's this...?" The group made to gather around what Doc was looking at, a large chuck of island floating in the vast green of the Zone.

"That looks like a empty island." Amber spoke as she took it in. "The big ghosts often take hold of some of those pieces to make their realm on, their own environment and place while some of us like using the many doors for our homes, it is not something you see everyday when an empty isle comes in."

"And it's close to the portal..." Danny paused before he looked up to the Doc who was thinking, the vibe getting to Danny as the Doc looked up with a smirk.

"Then we have an answer, and I have a plan..." Whatever he was planning, it was not good for any of them...

* * *

The island was sizable indeed, about the size of a large-scale farm and Doc's plan was to establish an outpost to monitor the Ghost Zone, he just required massive amounts of materials to get it down and he had the resources to do it, but he first needed to make sure that nothing would stop them short as they returned to the GZ, he armored again while the others were in the Speeder or flying around before Danny asked the apparent question about the armor. "So... what's the story behind the armor?"

"An answer against ecto-plasma power." Doc answered as he set another piece in and started to weld it in. "After studying recordings and minor records of yours and other abilities of ghost, I came to the basic understanding that I needed to develop a sort of armor that will not be harmful, but also either resist or absorb the power that could easily be hurled." Doc nodded to the work and began working on the next, attaching a small rod and worked on it. "However, it can only resist the damages and keep them from overshadowing me, sending an electric current through my body to force the ghost or spirit out."

Danny nodded as he thought about what happened at Dora's Kingdom. "Then what exactly is the story behind you having a time limit?"

"Normally, the armor can protect me from the emitting radiation of the Ghost Zone, enabling me to travel through the Zone freely, but if I enter a zone with a high energy presence, whether it be a sudden change to the landscape, an ecto-storm which sounds both powerful and crazy, or the presence of a extremely powerful or overcharged ghost, the armor will limit how much it can take before it collapses, a fail-safe feature sadly and one I am not fully willing to test out as, if I get stuck here, the energy could kill or alter me, risks I am afraid to take."

"Well..." Danny spoke as he had nothing to counter with, so he focused on the construction of the outpost. "So what's the point of building some outpost or station here, wouldn't it be damaged?"

"Not quite." Doc answered as he turned to a terminal close by and typed in some commands. "Taking some inspiration from your 'hosts' great number of devices and materials, I had fashioned a more efficient Ecto-Converter, drawing power from the Zone and storing the great power into a series of batteries that we could use in the event of the Zone losing flow or a storm cutting the power off for a massive torrent. Either way, that power will be pushed into a protective shield for the outpost." Doc looked up as the green that made up the Ghost Zone was blocked out by a radiant blue barrier, covering the air above to the distance of a four-story building, Doc making adjustments before it shrunk down to three-stories for now. "The 'Ghost Shield' will prevent any hostile entries from entering and grant us the needed peace to continue operations here, we will use this as a way to keep a full eye inside the Ghost Zone and alert us a bit better and also in case the portal were to falter, whether it be for upgrades or an overcharge."

"Whoa..." Tucker spoke as he looked to the pair in surprise. "You put how much thought into this plan?"

"About three minutes and sorting it out for a minor base of operations that we can use and safely work to keep both sides stable, if not more." Doc shrugged as he looked back up to the barrier, Tucker and Danny doing the same. "I just hope that it will work out, I would rather not expose all to extreme amounts of ecto-energy."

"Trust us, it doesn't really affect us."

"But he does have a point, Tuck." Danny answered. "Better prepared than nothing and, with Sam gone, we need all the help we can get from him."

"Then we will continue later." Doc spoke. "We have some allies to keep in line, just in organization." They headed into the Specter Speeder where the others were waiting and they boarded the vessel, Doc counting them out as three halfas and three humans as each other spoke up to get it across who they were and what they could do.

Danny was, of course, Danny Phantom, a fighter on his feet and a 'wanna-be' hero which much of the gathered party chuckled at, even Desiree as she found the concept that Danny didn't view himself a hero humorous. Tucker Foley, best friend of Danny, was a tech genius, he had managed to hack into several critical systems and he admitted, by notion of Jazz telling, that he was a failed flirt. Jazz or Jasmine was Danny's older sister and a wise guide on the matters of psychology, also preforming such as to help others move past or develop a new outlook for the world.

Now, for the additions of Team Phantom, Ember or Amber was a demi of the fire core and she has quite the talent for music, her sole focus being rock music and admitting that, due to her own past, she only wanted to be known and remembered before the whole 'Doc' thing went down. Desiree, or her new name of Hatamat Bulum, explained that she was a skilled dancer, but after her banishment, easing into it with Jazz's aid, she had learned that she had a skill and ability of magic, it extending out as she became the ghost once bound to wishes, Tucker even made the effort to give a wish with a smile and Desiree returned volley with a smile herself as she said 'I don't believe you are worth the wish now, you are too full of yourself, young tech.' Last of all was Doc, not giving his name on the grounds that he left it behind to take on the new life, is a skilled mechanic and architect, having spent some time to make the current kit and explained that he was there for the long run and he would not betray their trust.

With that out of the way, the Specter Speeder was evicted for Doc to ensure that both Amber and Hatamat were of a healthy condition and assured them the same, taking note that Desiree's ghost core had changed as, to her knowledge, her core was stabilized as a neutral, the most common through the realm and her ability to shift her body into mist or enlarge a fist, turning it into a hammer, was part of who she was, so it was a shock that her core had changed to a fire core, abnormal as ghost cores don't just shift like that. Other than that, they were in prime condition as Doc explained that, with the walls up and the shield online, it will just be a matter of time to get the rest up and running and, considering how the isle paused after slamming into the rocky terrain of the portal, it would take a month or two for it to dislodge and float elsewhere.

Until then, they had work to do in the Real World and hopefully, nothing eventful really happened...


	10. Chapter IX or 9

Doc actually did wish that he hadn't believed that NOTHING would happen in the following days...

Whelp, he was wrong as, somehow, a whole flood of animal ghosts and blob-based forms swarmed the streets of Amity after three days of working, the three members of Team Phantom jumped into action. Still, Phantom was outnumbered and two humans trying to manage the chaos was going to be hell as he just tinkered away, Ember zoom up with a grimace before zooming back down. "You know, you could be helping in clearing the town."

"I know, but I prefer to get ALL the details before I go in, I am not familiar with head-first plans." Doc scowled as he tapped away and rubbed his jaw in pondering as Ember shook her head and resumed the watch, her own power could help manage the problem, but what would the people think if they saw her, after how long of inaction? She didn't pursue that thought as Doc closed the documents and secured the data cache before going to work on equipment that would help manage the sudden ghost attack and future ones, while also seeing if he could utilized a method that could empower the Demis, but he needed to discuss that with them first, gripping his hand as he focused what power he needed and his eyes reopened for action. "Amber, are these ghosts more-manifest like normal ghosts?"

"Uh, no..." Ember rubbed her skull as she didn't really have too much interaction with the animals and blob ghosts that were driven on a single purpose. "They are rather easy to deal with, easy to scramble with a simple blast."

"Good... we are going to capture a few, the rest are going in the portal." She nodded as they headed out, the hands glowing with volts before giving off a dim hue for the skirmish before them...

* * *

Danny was not sure where all of these blasted single-minded ghosts came from, but a natural portal would be incredibly rare to even appear in their time and stay open long enough to see the type of flood coming in as they were short-handed in facing the entire swarm, a battle of three-to-one was simple, even a six-to-one for Danny, but there had to be hundreds creeping through the streets and roads that he needed to cut them down quickly before Amity was a festering pit of ghosts and that could cause too much trouble for anyone.

He was lucky that Tucker and Jazz were helping out, but it was... not enough as Tucker could barely keep his aim more than three shots and Jazz was good, but she filled it with battle cries and they could do with little of that. "Man, I really wish, Desiree please help me out here, that the Fenton Hunters and the Red Huntress could help out in clearing out this mess."

"My apologies, Phantom." Danny whipped about to see that the others came to join the fight, Desiree being a change as, while she had assured them that she needed time to adjust to her new status, she still entered the fray in a spare hazmat suit with the 'Jack o' Nine Tails' as her weapon and with great skill, even somehow striking it around her body like it was part of her routine, her face hidden with a hood. "My powers are not quite there, but Doc had informed that we are to help you, in exchange for some... samples from the attacking creatures." Danny frowned at that, he wanted some of the creatures to examine, was he crazy!? He paused and answered the question, wherever these spirits came from could help isolate where they could have come from in the first place.

"Alright, but to do that, I am hoping any of you are precise with the Fenton Thermos, I don't want to..." He paused as both of the Demi girls paused and smirked as Danny huffed. "Just focus on the animals and blobs."

"No problem, Stick."

"As you say, Entombed One." Danny rolled his eyes as they turned the tide of crazy to a manageable situation and captured a few for Doc's investigation before they headed out back to Fenton Works, the lab a safeguard against the craziness outside as the townsfolk tried to fix up everything up, it being a bit more tougher as a sense of despair filled them for some reason. Desiree folded her arms as she spoke, her dark hair pooling over her face as usual. "The portal couldn't have unleashed all of those creatures on the town, I can understand the hulking mass of man being responsible for leaving the gates open, but I cannot fathom how they could have managed here." Danny took a moment to think about before he stopped and growled, his eyes aglow as he spoke one word.

"Vlad." He turned into Phantom again and tried to head out before being blasted back as he shouted. "What the...!? Why did I just...!?"

"You are running on anger, that can be bad for your blood." Doc answered as he held a switch in hand and set it down before turning to the toppled Phantom as Team Phantom looked to him with their friend after joining his side as the two Demis looked at each other at the table and shrugged to the action. "I activated a shield that should keep you here until you have run your anger on something more productive, you can start by helping me to sort out these specimens of ghostly spirits and see exactly where they could have come from." Danny looked to the side before looking back.

"I'm not getting out of here any time soon, am I?" Doc smiled as he spoke.

"Not for a while, Danny, now help me out." Danny pondered it and Jazz rested a hand on his shoulder before he nodded and got up, floating over as Doc directed the process, the other four joining in as Doc explained it out and had them assigned to specific subjects and to look over all of them, a number scoffing, but they agreed as Jazz took it all in before she paused and spoke up from her subject of a ghostly creeping vine.

"Hold on, I have never seen this sort of ghost entity before, have you, Danny?" Danny paused and came over as he took a look as well and hummed as he spoke.

"No... it's like a new breed of ghost plant actually." Danny walked back to his own and paused to his of a ghostly monkey on the rampage, getting nothing back as Danny spoke again. "Actually, I have never seen such creatures before, I don't think I had ever seen them in Shulker's Lair either."

"Oh, so that's what happened that one time." Amber answered as she scribbled out her records on the rather-docile gazelle thing. "I thought that he was bluffing when he said that he captured both you and that huntress chick for sport."

"No joke... though he direly failed that too." Danny mused as he entered data into the terminal that Doc had set up for the update of data on the various creatures. "So... what else are we going to do with these spirits, are we...?"

"No, and I can tell that the sheer subject is a sensible topic to touch." Doc answered as he finished his model of a small flock of various ghost birds. "No, we are sending them back into the Ghost Zone, but it would be unwise to just release them, thus I will be applying small transceivers to a few to see where they will head and make their home at." The scientist worked on that, applying on those that remained stationary enough to apply those to the skin, the fur, the plume, or the root of the creatures. "Danny, since you are often in charge of porting the ghosts back in, get these creatures back in and show the group how to do it for future reference." Danny brooked no argument as he sucked them up and showed them how it worked, it rather easy, but complicated as Jack had been thorough with his devices with the guidance of Maddie, only a Fenton could have access to the system and Doc didn't dare to trifle with it, in case it rose some suspicions. Doc closed up the sites and pulled up the tracker signals to the table for all to see, the critters scrambling to parts familiar, but most headed in an unknown direction, Amber and Hatamat humming in concern to the location before they settled there after thirty or so minutes had passed and Hatamat spoke in worry, hand to her jaw.

"That realm is unexplored." She spoke as Amber nodded with a few strums of her guitar as the former wish-maker turned to Doc with a pop of the hip. "Among those that have been the most adventurous, we have never headed in that direction from the portal as we fear the punishments that could await all who pass by the great structure that stands like a looming tomb, the Castle of Pariah Dark." Danny grimaced, the last he had ever gone near that place was a assault on the dark king himself and nearly killing himself with the Ecto-Skeleton and when Vlad stolen the tools of Dark's power and the Skeleton to later use against him in the form of Jazz 'aiding' him.

"And what exactly does this 'realm' look like?" Doc asked as Hatamat had an answer turning back to the grid.

"It is a barren wasteland, hardly any life grows there or develops, it is just empty, but it always lingers close to the great castle, as if a reminder of something." Amber looked up and nearly went back to playing before she stopped and looked up again, standing up and looking at the same place before she spoke.

"Hold the phone..." The group turned to Amber as she spoke to the site. "If that place is suppose to be empty, then there shouldn't be any plants." The four looked at her with surprise as Doc rubbed his jaw. "Dipstick, while you were facing with the Big Dark and the rest of the 'forces' fought those craze skeletons, I actually noticed that the ground over that way... it was growing, like crazy stuff, I'm surprised that none of that stuff was seeping onto the Keep."

"Growing...?" Hatamat hummed before she stopped in surprise. "...It's Undergrowth...!"

"That means that Sam is still in the Ghost Zone... and Undergrowth is in his home turf!" Danny exclaimed as Doc hummed in pondering.

"This makes sense, but we are not suitable to fight a deity ghost on his own territory." They looked to him as he continued. "We need more forces on hand if we are going to fight Undergrowth, the outpost is not operational, so we have to cut the root of the problem before it is far too late." They looked reminisced as, though they were stronger than before in some ways, they were not up to taking on Undergrowth head-on and that meant both training and numbers. "With that in mind, what can we do to improve our strength?" Hatamat started in reply.

"We are manage the flux of both ghosts from the Zone and we can practice in a sectioned area to improve, but I can not muster forces to our cause, the humans are, after all, fearful to our presence."

"And the GIW are completely out of the question." Jazz spoke as well as she sat on the table in thought. "They tried to destroy the Zone and we can't give them that chance again, even if they were eliminated now."

"Bogus..." Amber folded her arms as she added to it. "I can't bring people into this either, I would be throwing beef in front of a tiger if I tried my hypnotic power and just tossed people into the Zone. We need something better than just cannon fodder here, Undergrowth would just use those if any did survive in there for long." Tucker huffed as he put his PDA down and sighed.

"And it looked like the town is in riot, with that many ghosts, people are starting to freak out so we are not in good waters here." Doc hummed before he spoke with resolve.

"Then how about we grab some people that know how to contend with such threats, I think that we can get them on our side..." Danny grimaced as he didn't want to do it, but he knew better...

They needed Jack, Maddie, and Valerie on the front lines again...

* * *

Valerie hissed as she tried to move again, settling down on the bed as she grimaced. How did it come to this?

She plopped her head on the pillow; Oh right, she took on someone who wrecked her and fractured parts of her body, her arm in a sling and she heard that the Fentons were in intense care from how many injuries they got from a blast like that, they would recover no problem, but her... she felt her own resolve shattered.

It wasn't even a ghost, just a guy with more advanced tech than her and he was brutal, discarding her to fight Phantom. Her eyes opening again as she mused, she gave Phantom a run for his money, an actual hunter, but she knew that the Fentons had tech that worked out really well like the Thermos that Phantom used, and a number of other tools. She rolled over and prayed that she didn't have to face her father on how badly she just failed, how she couldn't just protect her home from ghosts. She nearly let the fact that she was now weakened and ruined get to her before a voice spoke. "Whatever Fenton saw in you, I am not seeing it in exchange for this 'princess' in the bed." Valerie gasped as she spring up, standing in the doorway was the cloaked figure as he entered and closed the door before walking over to her, her body tense for action as he paused. Now, there is the fire of a girl who was determined for murder."

"What do you want; Why are you here!?" Valerie hissed from the pain and directed it to her anger, her tech was out of commission right now and she didn't want to be defenseless.

"Are you really asking me that?" The voice came from a respirator that gleamed back to her as blue lens looked back to her. "I regret that I was too hasty in my judgement of you, Phantom and Fenton both spoke highly of your abilities as the Red Huntress." Valerie felt her breath stop, Phantom was the only one who knew that she was the Huntress, how did Danny know that she was the Huntress too!? She nearly went with the belief that Danny somehow gave Phantom the Thermos as the voice came again, a hand rested on her arm, she wincing before feeling a chilling presence on it and her arm feeling much better. "I didn't wish to be the one to speak with you, but Danny wanted to get the idea that he was... special over with his folks before I talk to them."

"Special...?"

"Tell me, Miss Grey." The figure spoke as the blue lens looked back and she found bits of skin revealed under the metal pieces. "Do you find that Phantom possessed tech that belonged to Fenton's, don't you find it odd that wherever Phantom appears, Danny Fenton is never far away?" The hand left as the figure shook his head as he turned and trailed a hand on the opposite wall. "Of course, why should anyone take notice when Phantom is this 'vile abomination' while Fenton is this 'weak, mistreated whelp' that no one cares about?" To this, Valerie howled.

"Danny is not weak!" She sprung from the bed and leapt in a flying kick before the figure turned, grabbing the foot, and tossed her on the bed he paused at and got close as he spoke.

"Are you insisting that you did care about him beforehand, when he was the loser of the school, bullied and forced down as the runt of the whole high school?" Valerie groaned as she didn't have an answer to that, she cared about Danny, she really did after the whole mess, she hated Phantom, but she would never hate Danny. The figure drew back as he spoke again. "I checked his files, great, but faltered at the start of freshman year, he was confined in this hospital from an accident in the Fenton Lab. Can you tell me what that accident was?" Valerie... didn't know as she turned away before the figure reached over, plucking Valerie up, and putting her back, checking out the window before he spoke. "The accident had everything to do with the Fenton Portal."

"...Why...?" Valerie spoke as she looked to the figure. "Why are you talking about it...?"

"Don't you find it strange that Danny Fenton is always disappearing, always leaving the scene behind somehow, and has some sort of reply for his reasons?" The figure spoke on as he gave an answer. "The reason why I am talking to you is to get you to release something out, the belief that you know deep down about your own insight." Valerie didn't follow as the figure spoke again. "I took a look at the Ghost Portal designs and, somehow, some bonehead of a scientist made the button to turn the blasted machine on was installed on the inside." Valerie felt her breath stop again, inside and it was turned on which can only mean... her mind rushed past in fear because if Danny was...

"SHUT UP!" Valerie yelped as she felt tears gather as she pleaded. "He can't be... he just can't be..." Suddenly, she felt a warm presence on her fist and she paused as she looked at the mechanical hand, trailing up to the hidden face as she pleaded. "Please... that can't be..."

"Miss Grey... breathe." She didn't want to, she just wanted to flop away and cry, to drive this mad man out of her face, but she did so, she was not the popular girl now, she was the Huntress and she was more composed than that. She did so as the figure brought over a box of tissues and she used them to clear her eyes and blow. "I have been invested in paranormal activity myself two years ago and I was invested in finding out who or what Phantom was, you can imagine my surprise when coincidences lined up and I found myself with a face-palm."

"Then... he is..."

"No." Valerie stopped, strangely listening as the figure spoke. "I ran my own search and his bio-metrics lined up as a rare and remarkable subject, he is part-human, part ghost; he is what the science world would call a 'hybrid'." He rested the hand on her shoulder again, that chill returning as he spoke. "But hunters and prideful individuals call him a monster, a mistake, an abomination." Valerie looked to him as he continued. "Which are you?"

"...Danny is my friend..." She answered as she looked forward. "I hated him when I was popular, I loved him through those crazy events and broke up with him so that I can pursue hunting, it became my life. Now, you are saying... that he was my target and I nearly killed him..." She looked down as she continued. "I don't deserve his mercy, his patience, his... kindness."

"Maybe not, but you can work on it... he would have given you that chance." She looked at the figure again, feeling her arm pop and hiss into place and she slightly moved it to feel it better.

"Why are you here...?"

"Sam Manson was kidnapped by Undergrowth, a deity-class ghost that seems to have some connection to Pariah Dark. We don't have the manpower, but we need skilled individuals to get her back and stop Undergrowth from plunging Amity Park into a tropical jungle." He looked at her and continued. "Danny Fenton, son of Maddie and Jack Fenton and the hero as Danny Phantom, personally wanted to tackle this alone, but I convinced him to gather a team. I will not force you, but if you accept this, I will help you further with more advanced tech and more details to give you peace of mind, your heart will be healed." He removed his hand and headed out. "Think on it, Valerie Grey." The door closed and Valerie removed the sling and flexed her arm before it armored up.

"I can do that, after all, I own too much to Danny Phantom..."

* * *

Danny paused before his parents' door, suddenly feeling a pit in his stomach before Jazz rested a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay...?"

"I-I..." Danny grimaced as he turned from the door. "I can't do it, I know I said that I would do it... but what if... what if they...?"

"Hey, listen..." Jazz spoke as she turned her brother toward her and spoke. "I know that you want to take this all on your shoulders, but Doc wanted you to try and get them to help us. No matter how dogmatic they are about ghosts, they are still our parents and they will love you still." Danny hummed as she continued. "Besides, we can deal with any problems after, we need to save Sam, so, in the very least, do it for her." After a moment, Danny nodded as both straightened up and entered, Maddie the first to notice.

"Jack! Danny and Jazz are here!" Maddie was bandaged in a few places, but she still looked ready to tackle otherwise if she wanted to, Jack, on the other hand, had a cast on his arm and several more, having been hit with the blunt end of the blast. Both were originally occupied with paranormal research books when the two entered and Jack cheered.

"Danny! Jazz! I hope you were not too lonely!"

"No, we were good." Jazz spoke before she breathed. "I kinda wish that we could just talk and all that stuff but, we... have a ghost issue." Jack raised his brow as Maddie spoke.

"Ghost? but the town has been rather quiet since that new... figure rolled in and started blasted whatever he wanted."

"Yeah, but a ghost made a move." Danny spoke up as he continued. "And it is a big bad, its name is Undergrowth and it took Sam into the Ghost Zone."

"Blasted ghosts, I..." Jack stopped and Maddie looked at him in confusion as he spoke again. "Wait a second, I don't recall facing a ghost named Undergrowth or that a ghost needed or had a name, what is this about, Dann-o?" Maddie pondered as Danny stammered to get a sentence out before she cut off the trail of unknown babble.

"I don't recall such a ghost either, what IS going on, you two?" Danny and Jazz shared a look before Danny sighed and answered the short version.

"Sam has been kidnapped, we are getting help from the guy who is somehow a experienced scientist on ghosts, and I am half-human, half-ghost or a halfa from you guys putting the 'ON' button in the Ghost Portal." Danny deadpanned as he continued to the two's surprised looks. "We are here to get your help and save Sam before Undergrowth tries another takeover of Amity Park..."


End file.
